| Tangier طنجة Ṭanja | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms and flag   | ||
| State | Morocco | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Mediterranean Morocco | |
| Altitude | from 0 to 230 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 116 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 947.952 (2014) | |
| Prefix tel | 212 539 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 90000 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Position
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| Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Tangier is a city in Mediterranean Morocco.
To know
A fascinating city that has inspired writers and film directors, Tangier is able to disappoint the expectations of those who have read the novels of Paul Bowles or have seen their film adaptation, such as "Tea in the desert". Bertolucci's film was partly shot in the rooms of the old Hotel Continental, inside the Medina.
Tangier is today a chaotic and confusing city that has long since passed the milestone of one million inhabitants.
Located on the extreme northwestern tip of the continent African, at the strait of Gibraltar, Tangier has retained part of its cosmopolitan character from the period from 1925 to 1956, when it was established as an International Zone by decision of the major European powers of the time.
When to go
The northwest of Morocco is the region of the country that benefits from the most rainfall. Summers are milder and winters colder in comparison to the southern region.
Temperatures in Tangier are usually even a couple of degrees lower than on the Spanish side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Rainfall is concentrated between November and February and amounts to an average of 600-1000 mm per year. From mid-October to early May, the weather is characterized by strong winds, violent thunderstorms and torrential rains.
In summer, a hot wind from the Sahara, the sirocco commonly called "chergui", causes a sharp rise in temperatures.
The climatic records recorded in Tangier are as follows:
- Minimum temperature: -4.2 ° C (January 28, 2005);
- Maximum temperature: 43.5 ° C (1 August 2003);
- Precipitation: 200 mm of rain recorded in a single day (23 November 2008).
Background
Tangier was founded as a Phoenician colony, perhaps as early as the 10th century BC. or at the latest in the eighth century BC Most of the Berber tombs found around Tangier have returned Punic goldsmith works from the sixth century BC.
Under the Carthaginians, Tangier became an important port from which the expeditions of Annone the Navigator left for the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Greek merchants frequented the port known to them as Tingis. According to mythology, Tinjis, daughter of Atlas and widow of Antaeus, gave Hercules her son Syphax. After Tinjis died, Syphax founded the port and named it in his honor. The tomb of Antaeus was a tourist attraction for visitors from antiquity.
During the Punic Wars, Tingis came under the control of the King of Mauritania, an ally of Rome. In his war against Sulla, Sertorius took Tingis around 70 BC. and kept it for several years. Later it was returned to the Mauretans but in 38 BC. it was proclaimed a free city.
Tingis received municipal privileges under Augustus and became a Roman colony under Claudius, who also made it the capital of Mauretania Tingitana. Under Diocletian, Tingis was also the theater of the martyrs of Saints Marcello and Cassiano. In 428 it was occupied by the vandals of Generico along with all of North Africa.
In 533 Tingis was reconquered by Belisarius, the general of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. The new provincial administration was however moved to the more defensible base of Septem, the current Ceuta. Byzantine rule probably gave way to the Visigoths of Spain around 618.
Count Julian of Ceuta allegedly led the last defenses of Tangier against the Muslim invasion of North Africa but Tangier fell after the siege of the Arab troops of Musa bin Nusayr between 707 and 711. His deputy Tariq ibn launched the invasion Muslim of Spain.
Under the Umayyads, Tangier was the capital of the province of Africa (Ifriqiya) and its port became active in the trafficking of Christian slaves and pagan Berbers.
In 1304 the great Berber traveler Ibn Battuta was born in Tangier. Later Tangier turned into a den of pirates who attacked the ships that passed through the Strait of Gibraltar. A partial plan of the late medieval kasbah was found in a Portuguese document now held by the Swedish Military Archives in Stockholm.
How to orient yourself
Tangier: full screen map.Neighborhoods
- Medina - The medina of Tangier extends close to the port, from its western side.
- Unlike those of other cities of the Morocco, the medina of Tangier is rather compact but is nevertheless characterized by a labyrinthine system of alleys where it is easy to lose orientation.
- To access the Medina, cross the picturesque square of Great Socco, limited by the gardens of Mendoubia. Within the walls of the Medina is the district of the small souk (Socco chico), gathered around the Great Mosque.
- Kasba - The Medina of Tangier has a fortified section (Kasba) which occupies the north-western corner. Inside is the Dar el-Makhzen palace which was the residence of sultans as well as European governors in colonial times. Today the palace has been set up as a museum which can be accessed by walking down the street of the Kasba to the end (ex Rue d'Italie) which runs along the western flank of the walls within which the Medina is enclosed.
- New Town (Ville Nouvelle) - The center of the city from the colonial era are the avenue Pasteur and the place de France. The new city also has a municipal beach, which is very wide but not particularly exciting.
How to get
By plane
- 1 Ibn Battouta Airport. Ryanair operates there with flights from Paris-Beauvais, Bergamo, Charleroi, Hahn, Madrid, Marseille, Seville, Valencia, Weeze and Vueling with a single flight from Barcelona. The transfer from / to the center takes place exclusively by Grand Taxis, available 24 hours. Their rate is set by the government. Grand Taxis are available 24 hours a day on the sidewalk in front of the terminal. Other taxi companies are forbidden to enter the airport even if it is not excluded that they can be found under their noses. However, they are to be avoided.
By car
- A1 motorway. Connect Tangier with Rabat and passes through Atlantic coastal towns (Assila, Larache, Kenitra, Salt).
- 2 Tangier-Med. Since 2007 Tangier has had a 2nd port located 40 km east of the center, along the road to Ceuta. This is the Tanger-Med, one of the largest in the Mediterranean, used for merchant traffic but also passenger ships of the following companies stop there:
- FRS - Manages ferry services from Algesiraz, Tarifa is Gibraltar.
- Balearia - From Algesiraz in Tangier-Med
- Comanav is Great Fast Ships operate on the route Genoa-Tangier.
On the train
- 3 Tangier station (Gare Tanger Ville). The station is the terminus of the Al-Boraq line, the continent's first high-speed railway African inaugurated on November 15, 2018. As of 2021, high-speed trains were operating only on the Tangier-Kenitra (180 km at a maximum speed of 320km / h).
- At least five trains a day arrive from Sidi Kacem, Meknes, Fez is Rabat and two other direct trains from Marrakech.
- Information on timetables and prices can be found on the website of ONCF (national manager of railways in Morocco).
How to get around
What see
- 1 Museum of Arts and Antiquities of Morocco. Set up in the Dar el Makhzenche palace which was the sultan's palace. It is a 17th century palace located at the highest point of the Kasbah and with a view that sweeps up to the Straits of Gibraltar. The two inner courtyards are adorned with marble fountains and decorated with arabesques and carved wood. Some of the columns that support the portico are from Roman times and were taken by Volubilis. The collections are quite eclectic and include rugs, medieval manuscripts and silk fabrics. The antiques section is set up in the former kitchens of the palace. It includes excavation materials from the sites of Lixus and Cotta as well as from Volubilis. Funerary stems from the Carthaginian period are also exhibited. Noteworthy is the Roman mosaic "Voyage of Venus", located in one of the two internal courtyards.
- 2 Lorin Foundation Museum, Rue Touahine 44 (near the Place du 9 April 1947 and the Mendoubia gardens). is an art museum housed in one of the oldest synagogues in Tangier. There are newspaper articles, photographs, posters and other documents relating to Tangier's political, sporting, musical and social history from the 1930s. The museum also displays a number of contemporary paintings and exhibitions that take place regularly at the Lorin Foundation.
- 3 Great Mosque of Tangier. Erected on the site of a Portuguese church, which in turn stood on the site of a former Roman temple, dedicated to Hercules.
- 4 Sidi Bou Abib Mosque. 1917 mosque overlooking the area of the medina occupied by the grand bazaar (or souk).
- 5 American Legation Museum (Tangier American Legation Institute for Maroccan Studies,), 8, Rue America. The palace was the first American public property outside the United States. Today it is a cultural center and museum commemorating the cultural and diplomatic relations between the United States and the Kingdom of Morocco. A library for studying the Arabic language is attached to the museum.
- The legation was listed on the US National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 1981. A year later it was listed as a National Historic Landmark by US Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt.
- The palace is a Moorish-style building with elaborate stucco. It housed the US legation and consulate for 140 years beginning in 1821. It is the symbol of the Moroccan-American friendship treaty of 1786, which is still in effect today. The complex has expanded over the years with the purchase of the surrounding houses. During World War II it served as the headquarters for United States intelligence agents.
- After the 1956 transfer of the diplomatic capital to Rabat, the Legation building was abandoned as a diplomatic building. Over the years the US government proceeded to use it as consular offices but it was later neglected and threatened with demolition.
- In 1976 a group of American citizens founded a nonprofit organization to save the Old American Legation (as it is known locally).
- The Tangier American Legation Institute for Maroccan Studies (TALIM) is a museum that displays many paintings by Marguerite McBey and other artists. In 2010, TALIM expanded the original room of Paul Bowles, the author of tea in the desert. In 1999, the Legation received its initial donation of furniture, photographs and documents for the original Paul Bowles Room compiled by Gloria Kirby, a permanent resident of Tanger and a friend of Bowles. The museum also has a research library and a conference room. TALIM's community outreach programs include Arabic literacy courses for women living in Tangier's medina. John Davison is the current director of the museum.
- 6 Church of Sant'Andrea, Rue d'Angleterre. Built in 1894, it is an Anglican church with a Moorish interior and Arabic script. There are no sculptures.
- 7 Great Cervantes Theater. Theater inaugurated in 1913. It was one of the most prestigious theaters in North Africa but today it is in a state of neglect. The restoration project was abandoned due to disputes between the Spanish and Moroccan governments.
- 8 Sidi Hosni Palace, Rue des Almohades. The summer residence of Barbara Hutton, one of the richest women in the world in the twentieth century, stands in the small souq.
- With its beautifully decorated doors and windows, the palace walls witnessed the extravagances of Barbara Hutton, heiress who had been married to Hollywood actor Cary Grant. Barbara Hutton was known not only for her seven weddings, but also for extravagant parties at the height of the hippie era. Although this palace is no longer in use, let us imagine the endless nights enlivened by champagne, caviar and hashish.
Events and parties
- Tanjazz.
What to do
Shopping
The medina is full of cute little shops, although many of them are tourist traps and vendors go out of their way to buy things of no use and value at higher prices. Much of the brass produced in Morocco is on display in the Tangier medina along with leather goods and clothing including Thousand and One Nights slippers. It is advisable to negotiate prices in dirhams rather than euros.
- 1 Tanger City Center. a modern shopping center next to the Hilton but without great pretensions.
How to have fun
Where to eat
Moderate prices
- 1 Restaurant Ahlen Medina, 8, Rue des Postes, ☎ 212 770-747806.
Mon-Sun 12: 00-23: 00. Medina restaurant renowned for squid and other fish dishes. The restaurant is clean, the kitchen is open and the staff are polite and smiling. - 2 Cafe Panorama, Ave Mohammed VI, ☎ 212 5399-46331. Mon-Sun 07: 00-02: 00. As the name suggests, the privilege of this place is, more than the dishes, the terrace with an enchanting view of the sea. It is open for breakfast and brunch. Many customers complain that prices are no longer as cheap as they used to be.
Mon-Sun 12: 00-23: 00. Medina restaurant renowned for squid and other fish dishes. The restaurant is clean, the kitchen is open and the staff are polite and smiling.Where stay
Moderate prices
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Several pensions in the medina, in the Petit Socco area, offer double and triple rooms at 40-60 Dh per person per night, with bathroom on the floor. A couple of campsites are located outside the center.
- 1 Continental Hotel, 36 Rue Dar el-Baroud. Built in 1870, the Continental is one of the oldest hotels in Tangier. The yellowed pages of the 19th century guest book bear the signatures of, Degas, Winston Churchill and the Beat poets. Bertolucci's film "Tea in the Desert" was partly shot in the hotel rooms. It is located in the Medina area and some rooms overlook the harbor. Nothing seems to have been touched for centuries.
- 2 Pension Gibraltar, Rue de la Liberation (Between av. Pasteur and the Grand Socco).
Triple for 150 Dh the room, hot shower included. Basic hostel, bring clean sheets. - 3 Villa Muniria, 1 Rue Magellan, ☎ 212 39935337.
- 4 Hollanda hotels, 139 Rue de Hollande.
- 5 Camping Miramonte (3 km to the west of the center). The best camping in Tangier. It also offers bungalow accommodation.
- 6 Camping Achkkar (In Cap Spartel-Grotte d'Ercole, 10 km from the center).
Triple for 150 Dh the room, hot shower included. Basic hostel, bring clean sheets.Average prices
- 7 La Tangerina, 19, Riad Sultan, ☎ 212 39947731, fax: 212 39947733. If you are looking for a hotel with atmosphere and you are on a budget, La Tangerina is for you. Restored around 2006 La Tangerine is a riad inside the Kasba of Tangier and in a panoramic position over the city. As it is a secret of Pulcinella you will have to book well in advance even if you travel in low season.
High prices
- 8 Albarnous, Rue Ahmed Cheijh Ben Ajiba 18 B, ☎ 212539371919, @[email protected]. 90/100€. Check in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. located in the historic heart of the Kasbah of Tanger, a stone's throw from the lively district of the Médina souks and historical sites, this charming ryad welcomes you in a convivial atmosphere with a sober and refined elegance. A hammam and Argan oil treatments are at your disposal to regenerate you after a day exploring the city and its surroundings.
- Tanger City Center Hotel & Residences.
- 9 Hilton Garden Inn Tanger City Center, Place du Maghreb Arabe.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- West
- 1 Chief Spartel (Ras Sibartil) - Just 14 km west of Tangier is Cap Spartel, the northwestern end of the continent of Africa. The promontory is surrounded by beaches with pine and palm groves and a lighthouse was built there.
- 2 Caves of Hercules - The cave has two entrances, one from the sea and one from the ground. The entrance from the sea is believed to have been created by the Phoenicians.
- The cave is partly natural and partly artificial. The artificial part was used by the Berbers to obtain stone wheels and make millstones. To enter you pay 5 dirhams per person and another 5 optional for a guide.
- 3 Assilah - Ocean town 20 km from Tangier, with a splendid white medina surrounded by walls and amidst wide beaches. The taxi ride costs 50 Dh and just 11 Dh by bus.
- 4 Larache (85 km. 25 Dh by local bus.) - Not yet touched by mass tourism, Larache features a lively medina, wide beaches in the Ras Rme area and the Phoenician-Roman ruins of Lixus on the Loukkos River estuary.
- East
- 1 Ksar es Seghir (40 km) - fishing village on a promontory that deserves a stop for the splendid sea views. The Portuguese held the town for two centuries as evidenced by the ruins of a 15th century fortress. The village has retained a very traditional Moroccan atmosphere having not yet been touched by mass tourism.
- 5 Ceuta (65 km) - The way for Ceuta passes by Jebel Musa, one of the two Pillars of Hercules of antiquity. The other was the current Rocca di Gibraltar.
