In 1578, the Portuguese king, Sebastian, chose Asilah as his base for his ill-fated campaign in Morocco.

[1] After the victory at Larache in 1689, the Moroccan Sultan, Ismail Ibn Sharif, 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 Spanish left Asilah on ships at night and escaped to Spain.

[4] The Riffians rebuilt Asilah, building two mosques, a madrasa, and a public bath.