Description
Laâyoune ( lah- YOON, also UK: ly- , French: [la.ajun]) or El Aaiún ( EL eye-(Y)OON, Spanish: [el (a)aˈʝun]; Hassaniya Arabic: لعيون, romanized: Laʕyūn/Elʕyūn ; Berber languages: ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, romanized: Leɛyun ; Literary Arabic: العيون, romanized: al-ʿUyūn/el-ʿUyūn , lit. 'The Springs') is the largest city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, with a population of 271,344 in 2023. The city is de facto under Moroccan administration. The modern city is thought to have been founded by the Spanish captain Antonio de Oro in 1938. From 1958, it became the administrative capital of the Spanish Sahara, administered by the Governor General of Spanish West Africa.
In 2023, Laâyoune is the capital of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region administered by Morocco, under the supervision of the UN peacekeeping mission MINURSO.
The town is divided in two by the dry river of Saguia el-Hamra. On the south side is the old lower town, constructed by Spanish colonists. The St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral was constructed during the Spanish period and is still active; its priests serve this city and Dakhla further south.
