Melilla

Melilla stands on a rocky headland on the Mediterranean coast of northeastern Morocco. Its harbor and fortifications made it a strategic outpost near the eastern Rif. Castilian forces occupied the town in 1497, and Spain retained it through repeated confrontations with Moroccan rulers. In 1774–1775 Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdallah besieged Melilla, but the Spanish garrison held out until the siege was lifted.