It is not surprising Assilah has had a rather turbulent history – its location on the Atlantic Coast has made it an appealing destination for generations of bandits, pirates and conquerors. It has suffered numerous conquests, wars and settlers and the navies of everyone from Spain to Austria have bombarded the town.

These days, things are a lot more peaceful, but history has left its mark on Assilah, as a wander around the medina will illustrate. The medina's walls were built in 1471 by the Portuguese who had sent 30,000 men and nearly 500 ships to invade the town.

Even by the mid 15th century Assilah had experienced a long and troubled history. Originally a Carthaginian settlement called Zilis, the locals were the victims of some power politics during the Tunic Wars. They backed Carthage against the Romans and when the Romans won, they shipped Assilah's natives to Spain and replaced them with Spanish settlers.

In 1578, after more than a hundred years of Portuguese rule, Kingdom Sebastian set off on a disastrous crusade from the port. He was killed and Portugal – and all of her colonies – was won by the Spanish.

Assilah was returned to Muslim hands in 1691 when Moulay Ismail captured the town. But anyone thinking this ushered in an era of peace and prosperity was sorely disappointed. The town turned into a haven for pirates and bandits who used the port as a base to attack European vessels.

The most well known of these pirates was Moulay Ahmed ben Mohammed er-Raissouli. This larger than life character from the Rif Mountains east of Assilah was a feared kidnapper, murderer and armed robber. In his most spectacular heist, he kidnapped the Greek-American billionaire Ion Perdicaris in 1904, and won a ransom of $70,000 for his release. This escapade even made it to Hollywood with Sean Connery playing er-Raissouli in the 1975 film The Wind and The Lion.

The Palais de Raissouli, located at the seawall of the medina was his base, and its still luxurious surrounds demonstrate how effective er-Raissouli was at his chosen profession. He also often brought work home, forcing 'convicted' murderers to jump off his terrace and to their death on the rocks below.

Er-Raissouli inspired fear among his countrymen and irritation among the European powers. The Spanish and Austrian navies bombarded Assilah in retaliation against his piracy and the Spanish eventually chased him out of the area after World War 1.

Spain had already made the town part of its protectorate and it remained so until 1956 when Morocco gained independence. Since then things have thankfully been a lot quieter and the Assilah Festival has once again thrust the town into the limelight – this time for all the right reasons.