evidence: Spanish colonisation of north africa turned the city of Melilla into a marvel of Modernisme and Art Nouveau, with a wealth of buildings now being restored [...] Set on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, the small Spanish city of Melilla is something of an architectural enigma. This tiny enclave, an early Modernist marvel, has more in common, architecturally, with Barcelona than with North Africa. [...] Following the establishment of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco, decreed by the 1912 Treaty of Fez, much of northern Morocco had come under colonial Spanish rule. With Spain’s increased presence in North Africa, Melilla was feeling confident.