Place du 16 Août is the central square where the medina and the modern French-built town meet. The date commemorates a 1953 protest against the deposition of Sultan Mohammed V by the French colonial authorities — Oujda was the site of one of the early and most violent rebellions. The square is the city's main evening meeting point, ringed with cafes and the entry point for Bab Sidi Abdelwahab and the medina behind.