Between 1690 and 1691, the Moroccans besieged the Spanish-held Asilah for a year before surrendering to the Moroccans.
Background
In the year 1471, the Portuguese
captured the city of Asilah from the Moroccans. The Portuguese built walls that surrounded the city. In 1578, the Portuguese king,
Sebastian
Sebastian may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Sebastian (name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name
* Saint Sebastian, a Christian saint martyred in the 3rd century
* Sebastian of Portugal (1554–1578 ...
, chose Asilah as his base for his
ill-fated campaign in Morocco. In 1589, the city was recaptured by the Moroccans but at some point later the city was captured by the Spanish.
Siege
After the
victory
The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...
at Larache in 1689, the Moroccan Sultan,
Ismail Ibn Sharif
Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif (, – 22 March 1727) was a Sultan of Morocco from 1672 to 1727, as the second ruler of the 'Alawi dynasty. He was the seventh son of Sharif ibn Ali, Moulay Sharif and was governor of the province of Fez and the north o ...
, dispatched his general, Ahmed ben Haddou, to besiege the city of Asilah, which was held by the Spanish. The Spanish resisted; however, after a year of fighting, they were exhausted and asked to surrender. The Moroccan Riffians agreed for a safe passage on the orders of the Sultan; however, the Spanish didn't trust the Riffians, fearing to suffer the same fate as in Larache. The Spanish left Asilah on ships at night and escaped to Spain. The Riffians entered the city after a siege that had lasted between 1690 and 1691. The Riffians rebuilt Asilah, building two mosques, a madrasa, and a public bath.
[Octave Houdas, p. 43]
References
{{reflist
Sieges involving Morocco
Sieges involving Spain
Conflicts in 1690
1690 in Africa
1691 in Africa
Sources
*Ahmad ibn Khalid al-Nasiri (1894),
Al-Istiqsa li-Akhbar duwal al-Maghrib al-Aqsa, Vol VI
*Octave Houdas (1886), Le” Maroc de 1631 a 181
*Thurayyā Barrādah (1997), The Moroccan army and its development in the nineteenth centur