Larache

Larache, Arabic Al-ʿArāʾīsh, Atlantic port city, northern Morocco, at the mouth of the Loukkos (Lucus) River. The ruins of ancient Lixus, successively a Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman settlement, are 2 miles (3 km) northeast on the river’s north bank. Larache was under Spanish rule from 1610 to 1689 and from 1912 to 1956. The old walled city rises in terraces to two forts that dominate it on the north and south. The ancient Kebibat fortress (now a hospital) rises out of the sea; the fort of La Cigogne (c. 1700) was built by the Spaniards. The modern quarter stretches from the port across the coastal plateau, with gardens and orchards bordering the river. Larache is a busy agricultural and fishing centre, exporting produce, timber, and wool. Pop. (2004) 107,371.