Things to see in Tangier

Things to see in Tangier

Tangier is an ancient city that once emerged as a colony of Carthage. It was the possession of the Romans, Arabs, French. And now this territory is directly and directly subordinate to the King of Morocco. In the middle of the 20th century, Tangier several times found itself at the center of international politics. Now it is a calm, tourist place, where they go for the sights: the longest beach strip, museums. Also, the market of the old city, and the amazing atmosphere of the real East. So what are the most beautiful attractions and things to see in Tangier?

Top 10 attractions and things to see in Tangier

Pillars of Hercules and Gibraltar

It is perhaps the most famous natural and historical landmark in the entire Mediterranean. The border between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Gibraltar’s narrowest point is just 18 kilometers from Tangier, so it’s fairly easy to get there. On the European side, it is the Rock of Gibraltar (controlled by Great Britain), and on the Moroccan side, the Jebel Musa rock.

This place in ancient times was considered the official land of the Ecumene, the known world. Although this did not stop the Phoenicians and Carthaginians from swimming in the Atlantic and exploring the west coast of Africa. Most legends associate this place with the hero Hercules. According to some versions, a narrow strait was pierced by him through the Atlas Mountains. According to others, on the contrary, the wide strait was narrowed by Hercules so that huge monsters would not burst from the ocean into the Mediterranean Sea.

Hercules cave

If few people get to the Djebel Musa rock, near Tangier. Then the Hercules Cave in this rock massif is one of the most popular tourist attractions. The cave system is located at Cape Spartel. Nearby, there are a hotel, beach, restaurants, souvenir, and shops.

People have known this cave since the Neolithic times. The first finds here date back to the 6th millennium BC. e. Then the Phoenicians used it. It was they who cut another entrance there, from the side of the sea. Then the cave was significantly expanded in the Middle Ages. Quarries were located here: they mined stone for millstones, with the help of which they pressed olive and argon oil. A legend says that through this cave you can cross over to the other side of Gibraltar using a system of transitions. The rocks on the English side are also replete with karst caves. Because they are made of the same rock.

For a long time, the cave was known only to local residents. But in 1878 it was discovered by the French, and by the beginning of the 20th century, it began to be used as a brothel. Since 1952, it has been officially museumified and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Now the cave is fully equipped for tourists: there is wooden flooring, electric lights, and information boards. It is used for excursions, and sometimes even for concerts.

Kasbah fortress

The very word “Kasbah” refers to the citadel and it is for sure one of the best attractions and things to see in Tangier. This fortress was built in 1771. Although the fortress structures existed here much earlier: at first there were Phoenician fortifications on this site. Then medieval Byzantine, then Portuguese. Each new fortress absorbed the remains of the previous one. In the 15th century, powerful fortifications were built by the Portuguese. Then the territory came under the rule of the British. Tangier became a dowry of the wife of the English king Charles II Catherine of Braganza. In 1679, the Moroccans recaptured the city. But in the process of fierce battles, the fortress was significantly damaged.

The citadel was rebuilt in full in the 18th century under Sultan Moulay Ismail ibn Sherif, who started a grandiose construction and renovation of sea fortresses throughout the country. During his reign, 76 fortresses were built in Morocco. On one of the preserved bastions, there is now an observation deck with a magnificent view of Gibraltar. The Bab-el-Assa gate, left over from the Portuguese, and the newer Bab-Fash gate, lead to the fortress.

Palace of the Sultan Dar el Mahzen and its museums

Inside the citadel is one of the main attractions and things to see in Tangier. It is the palace of the Sultan Dar el-Mahzen, which now houses a museum exposition. The palace was built in the 18th century for Sultan Moulay Ismail ibn Sherif, who received the nickname “Bloodthirsty” from his subjects – he fought so much and so cruelly. It is he who is described in the famous novel “Angelica and the Sultan”. But the palace was built not for the sultan himself, but for one of his most famous commanders and the de facto ruler of Tangier, Ahmad Ben Ali Al-Rifi. The decoration of the palace contains details leftover from old Roman structures, for example, there are Roman floor mosaics.

Since 1922, the building has been functioning as a museum, or rather as two museums. The Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Moroccan Art. The Archaeological Museum tells primarily about the ancient history of the region: there are Phoenician, Greek, Carthaginian, and Roman artifacts found during excavations in the city and the surrounding area. The Museum of Art exhibits later works from the Middle Ages, so a visit to both museums gives a good picture of the history of the region.

Big mosque

The mosque was built during the reign of Moulay Ismail ibn Sherif on the site of the former Portuguese Catholic cathedral in the center of the citadel. And the cathedral, according to legend, was built on the site of the ancient temple of Hercules. In 1815, the mosque was renovated, rebuilt, and got its present appearance. This is a very beautiful building of elegant white and green colors with a carved wooden portal decorated with rich ornaments and typical Moroccan tiles. Clearly one of the best things to see and attractions in Tangier that you should visit.

The mosque was built in local traditions, which are very different from the Arab ones. This is not the usual dome with four minarets, but a rectangular building with one minaret-tower. This shape was partly chosen due to the fact that the building stands on the old rectangular foundations of a Catholic cathedral, also with one central tower. Opposite the mosque, there is a madrasah building, built simultaneously with it in the same style.

Hotel “Continental”

The oldest, most expensive and famous hotel in Tangier is the Continental. Its building was built in the 19th century in the Andalusian style and is considered one of the national architectural monuments of Morocco.

The hotel is operational, and even if you do not settle in it, it is worth looking into the hall and restaurant at the hotel. They are proud that the impressionist E. Degas once stayed here. Here “Continental” competes with another famous hotel in Tangier – Grand Hotel Villa de France, where A. Matisse, another famous impressionist, stayed. But The Rolling Stones definitely stayed at the Continental!

Its interiors, carefully preserved since the 19th century, are uniquely luxurious. It was in them that the film “Casablanca” of 1942 with Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart was once filmed: this hotel acts as the club “At Rick’s”, where the main action of the film takes place.

The blue city of Chefchaouen

A uniquely beautiful place very close to Tangier – Chefchaouen. It is a small town that was founded in 1471 on the site of an old Berber village. Then a mosque and a small fortress appeared here. And at the end of the 15th century, the city became the center of the Sephardic community. Many Jews moved here from Spain and Portugal after the expulsion. Legend says that it was they who created this tradition – to paint the walls of houses in the city exclusively in blue and blue.

For a long time, the city was considered a sacred place, closed to non-Jews. Now almost nothing is left of the Jewish community – most have moved to Israel. But the tradition is enshrined in law. Here you can paint houses only in shades of blue and light blue, and the freshness of the paint is carefully monitored and updated regularly.

Medina of Tangier

Around the old citadel is the medina – the old city, and now the tourist quarter, combined with the market. There are narrow snow-white streets where you can get lost, multi-level transitions from one slope to another, picturesque stairs, numerous shops, and stalls. For sure, one of the worthy attractions and things to see in Tangier.

It can be noisy here, sellers can beckon to their shops, but in general, the bazaars of Tangier are quite civilized, and sellers are not as intrusive as in other places. No wonder tourists sometimes complain that Tangier is “not quite Morocco”. They will speak here more in French or in Spanish than in English, as in the whole country.

Many houses were built in the 15th-15th centuries – the corresponding dates are written or engraved in stone on them. Is this plausible? Of course, most likely, the walls have been rebuilt and repaired since the 15th century, but these streets are really many centuries old, and since the 15th century they have not changed at all.

Museum of the American Diplomatic Mission

Quite an unusual museum. He recalls that of all African countries, it was Morocco that was the first to recognize the independence of the United States. An American mission was opened in Tangier in 1821, and the museum is located on the site of the original American mission building.

It is a five-story building that houses a rather whimsical display. George Washington’s letter to Mullah Abdallah is here side by side with the story of Paul Bowles and the beatniks. There is a large collection of oriental art dedicated to the countries of the East, mostly contemporary. The crown jewel of the collection is the Moroccan Mona Lisa, a painting by artist James McBee depicting his dark-skinned maid.

Mendubia garden

The Mendubia Garden is the city’s main park, founded in the 12th century north of the medina. Since that time, some trees have even survived here: for example, they show a huge dracaena, which is about eight hundred years old. Legend says that it contains the spirit of some cruel ruler, but no one remembers which one in particular – none of the Moroccan medieval sultans was distinguished by mercy.

However, the park is really very old and there are definitely trees that are 100 years old. And besides this – a lot of flowering shrubs and just flowers. It is good to hide from the heat, among the fountains and ponds, but keep in mind that the garden is closed on the very siesta – from noon to three o’clock.