"A Quiet Town" Asilah by hquittner

During the afternoon of the first day of our 2-day tour to Tangier from Torremolinos, we were taken to Asilah on the Atlantic coast for a long walk. Our guide was a local teacher at the Institute there. The old town, which was all that we visited, is very quiet and appeared quite safe. I understand that there are hotels and developed beaches in the newer area but we did not go there.

Mosque entrance

The old town is surrounded by defensive walls said to be Spanish and Portuguese, although one part was topped by tent shaped merlons with classical Arab rough stonework underpinnings. The guide gave us intelligent jabber about the town and pointed out not noteworthy buildings and institutions. Most stimulating was the restless decoration of the whitewashed walls by murals and the colorful ratement of dooors.

Berber rug details

There were artisans at work in one shop and a sales outlet or two with the wares and colorful Berber rugs. There were also views of the rugged coast near town.

• Pros:An unexpected visual experience
• Cons:We were not to stay here
• In a nutshell:What would an independent overnight be like?