Dar Bouanani Asilah Residence

ABOUT US

Abdelkader Ben Haj Kadour Ahmed El Bouanani

"Zanqa Ben Kad-dur"

The apartment complex was built by the Bouanani family.

Our family is originally from Asilah and has lived there for several generations.
The family used to own an entire street in the old city centre. The street’s name was—and still is—“Zanqa Ben Kad-dur.” This street is named after our family. The photograph showing a man standing dates from around 1920. This is Abdelkader Ben Haj Kadour Ahmed El Bouanani. A highly respected man who worked at the border between Tangier and Asilah. Tangier was designated an international zone in 1923 under the joint administration of France, Spain, and Britain, pursuant to an international convention signed in Paris on December 18, 1923.

We are proud to introduce you to our beloved town of Asilah. You might say that, since we’ve lived here for so long—
—it’s no longer that special to us. Well, think again—even for us, it remains special day in and day out. When you walk through the old medina, which is surrounded by Portuguese walls, it takes you back in time, making you think about what life was like back then. For example, when you’re at the “Krekia”—an outpost on the wall where you can look out over the Atlantic Ocean—what would it have been like 100 years ago? Could you see the enemies coming? This is what I mean by walking through the medina while reflecting on its history. Recently, these walls were renovated to preserve them. But you still experience the same sense of wonder time and time again.

Asilah is especially worth a visit in the summer. Every summer there’s a cultural festival with a new theme each year. We’ve been to several already and skipped one because it fell during the month of Ramadan (the holy month). This major event lets you experience Asilah in a whole new way. The festival brings artists—including painters, calligraphers, musicians, and others—to town. There’s music, and there are murals on hundreds of walls—maybe even more. Every year, new artists transform these walls with another brilliant painting. One year we had a Mexican theme, and another year we had the United Arab Emirates. It’s really nice to see these different cultures. It’s the best way to learn from one another and to get rid of all prejudices.