Place · city

Asilah

Also known as Arzila

Asilah, historically Arzila, is a fortified town on the Atlantic coast of northern Morocco, south of Tangier. Portugal captured it in 1471 under Afonso V and held it until 1550, and King Sebastian landed there in 1578 before his defeat at Alcácer Quibir. Its Portuguese ramparts still enclose the old medina.

Asilah
Image: Robert Prazeres · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Portuguese MoroccoWattasid Sultanate

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Asilah. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/asilah
MLA
“Asilah.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/asilah. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Asilah.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/asilah.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Asilah’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/asilah (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻