Some 40 years ago, Assilah was nothing more than a small port village with crumbling walls and trash-strewn streets. In the 1970's, however, two artistically inclined friends had the idea to paint murals on the walls - this became a summer-long music festival that still takes place every August, attracting a mix of visitors from all over the world. Assilah's medina is now characterized by gorgeously painted buildings with artist boutiques and renovated guesthouses. It's also now considered to be one of Morocco's cleanest!
