Established by the Phoenicians, Asilah was an important town in Mauritania’s pre-Roman period (when coins were minted here), and also under the Romans. It was captured by the Portuguese in 1471 and became a centre of trade with connections to the Mediterranean countries. The town came under Moroccan control in 1691, during the reign of Moulay Ismaïl. At the end of the 19th century, Raissouli, a pretender to power and a brigand, extortioner and kidnapper, made Asilah his base. In 1906, taking advantage of the intrigues that surrounded the sovereign, Abdul Aziz, he assumed the mantle of pasha then that of governor of the Jebala. He built himself a palace facing the sea, from which he was expelled by the Spanish in 1924. This small Andalusian-style town is enclosed within ramparts. The narrow streets are paved or limed, and lined with houses fronted by balconies with restrained mashrabiyya, and with blue or green-painted woodwork. The Criquia jetty, northwest of the town, overlooks a tiny cemetery with tombstones covered in glazed tiles. At the foot of the square tower on Place Ibn Khaldoun stands Bab el-Bahr (Gate of the Sea). On the opposite side of the square, Bab Homar (Gate of the Land), with the Portuguese royal coat of arms, leads out from the ramparts and into the new town. In summer, the Centre Hassan II des Rencontres Internationales, in Rue de la Kasbah, within the walls, hosts cultural events and exhibitions. Asilah is also frequented by painters, who are fond of marking the walls with signs of their passing. Amazing Fields