Bab el Okla, our gate to the medina of Tetouan

Bab el Okla, is one of seven historic gates of Tetouan, Morocco. Bab El Okla is more recent than the other gates of the city, and one of the most active. It consists of a main door and a secondary entrance on the side. The fountain just inside the door is distinguished by its typical tile Tetouani and verses of the 18th century inscriptions praising the leader of the city, Omar Luqash.

Located on the Mediterranean Sea east of Tangier, Tetouan was for centuries an important point of contact between Morocco and the Arab culture of Andalusia on the Iberian Peninsula.

After the Reconquista - the resumption of Andalusia by the Christians of Spain - Tetouan was rebuilt by Andalusian refugees who were expelled by the Spanish.

In 1997, the medina of Tetouan was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites as historic exceptionally well preserved, showing all the features of the high Andalusian culture.