- Marrakech, Morocco — starting of the Morocco segment of our 2026 adventure
- Essaouira, Morocco
- Ourika Valley and the Atlas Mountains, Morocco
- Errachidia and the Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp
- Fes, Morocco
- Volubilis and Meknes, Morocco
- Chefchaouen, Morocco
- Tangier, Morocco
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Rabat, Morocco
After our visit to Chefchaouen, we made our way to the coast and the city of Tangier. Frankly, we didn’t know what to expect there, since our only knowledge of it was from talking with “day trippers” coming over from Spain on the ferry and one of our favorite movies, “The Wind and the Lion, a 1975 story, based on actual events, of a Berber chieftain that causes and international incident, ultimately involving President Theodore Roosevelt. So we were wide open with no expectations and we had a great time!
Tangier has about the best combination of location and climate in the region, being at the junction of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It’s history goes back since before the 10th century BCE first as a Phoenician trading center, given its closeness to the Strait of Gibraltar. Then came the Carthaginians, Greeks, Mauritanians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Visigoths, and the Muslims. Over the past 1.5 centuries, the Europeans (Portuguese, Spanish, French, Germany) and Great Britain would have their crack at the city, whether individually or in alliances. While not a conquering force, the US has had a strong relationship with Morocco since its inception (they were the first country to recognize US independence). Needless to say, all of these invaders/occupiers have left their mark on the city in its architecture and culture. This is very much an international city and it is multicultural, with Muslims, Jews, and Christians all prominently represented here. Because of its exotic nature, it attracted writers, artists, and musicians from throughout the world who visited or took up residence here. When it became a recognized International Zone (under the joint administration of France, Spain, and the United Kingdom) in the 1940s, it became a playground for eccentric millionaires as well as a center for intrigue, whether through the spies that operated in the area or the ne’er-do-wells with rampant speculation and gambling in the area. This continued even during World War II. Ultimately, Morocco gained its independence in 1956 and Tangier was reintegrated. But independence also meant the free-port status that was enjoyed while the International Zone existed went away. Shortly thereafter, most of the expats and money followed and the city fell into disrepair. It has only been since 2010 that the king started a significant redevelopment that continues until today.
While we stayed on the Corniche (waterfront), we spent a lot of time in the old Medina and the Kasbah, geographically linked, but separate parts of the old city. In the former case, the Medina is the more boisterous part with the souks, museums, mosques, and neighborhoods inside. As with the medinas in other Moroccan cities, we would have been thoroughly lost without our map app. In contrast, the Kasbah sits at the highest point of Tangier and is more fortified consistent with its traditional role as the royal citadel and administrative center for the city. It is much quieter there, with fewer shops, higher end residential areas, museums, and the Royal Mosque. It also held our favorite evening spot in the city (the El Morocco Club) which was an excellent restaurant with a jazz bar downstairs. In the first of our two full days in the city, we walked around the Medina. Of course, this was after going to DHL to ship back a lot of things we have been accumulating on our trip so far! From there, we wandered the streets and walked through the many parks in the city, including one that was an abandoned cemetery that has not been maintained and has fallen into disrepair. The Medina here seemed more open and green with parks interspersed with shopping and residential areas. The other thing we noticed with the different architectural styles of the buildings, consistent with the number of nationalities that have settled here.
The second day, we hired a guide (actually two guides — a real Felix and Oscar duo named Abdul and Majid) who were as entertaining as they were knowledgeable. We started by heading out to Cape Spartel (about 10 miles from the center of the city) to pose in front of the signs showing where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet. Two things were noteworthy here — the color shift from the blue Atlantic and the more green Mediterranean and the views over to both Spain and Portugal. They are remarkably close and apparently we were lucky to see the mountains over there because of the clarity of the sky after so much recent rain. We made a few other stops in the general area. The first was the Cape Spartel lighthouse which sits on a promontory about 1000 feet above sea level at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. It was built in 1864 by the Sultan Muhammad IV, but kept in operation by a consortium of Western powers. In addition to the lighthouse, the other sight there was the feral pigs that live in the area. Not surprisingly, the pigs are not at all shy and are always are looking for food. Just down the road we stopped at the Caves of Hercules, a real hodge podge of truth and fiction and a tourist trap in this man’s opinion. The caves themselves have been around for eons (apparently they have found some evidence of stone age habitation. The caves were initially formed from the pounding waves from the sea, but there was significant expansion done by the Berbers who cut stone from the walls to make millstones. I must say, the patterns on the wall from that cutting was pretty cool. As previously noted, the Greeks spent time here and all of a sudden, the caves became a place where Hercules slept while doing his 11th labor (of the 12 he had been given). Over the years, the caves have been used for a variety of purposes; they were open to the public in 1920. Okay, now this is when we move into the sublime. By looking at the ocean opening from the cave, you see the shape of Africa (woo!), but if you look at it slightly differently, you see Cleopatra’s profile (apparently yelling at someone double woo!). I was ready to get out of there. From there, we quickly visited Pedicaris Park, a national park that was once home to Greek-American billionaire Ion Pedicaris. You may recall that name as the man who was kidnapped by Berber chieftain Ahmed al-Raisuni in 1904 that led President Theodore Roosevelt to employ a bit of gunboat diplomacy to secure his release. The “Pedicaris Incident” was later dramatized in the movie “The Wind and the Lion”, albeit changing the story into an adventure-romance by having his wife and children be those who were kidnapped (an amazing movie if you’ve never seen it!). We then spent much of the afternoon wandering around the Medina, admiring the various architectural styles on display and learning about all the history that occurred there. One very interesting stop was at the American Legation, the only US National Historic Landmark located in a foreign country. Gifted by Sultan Moulay Slimane in 1821, the Legation served as the official seat of American diplomacy in Morocco for decades. Today it is a well-preserved museum and educational center. Wandering through the exhibits, you could almost feel what it was like to live here in the heyday of Tangier. Our final stop of the day was up in the Kasbah, this time focusing not only on the history that occurred there, but also the transformation of the neighborhood into one of chic living, the arts, and museums. I suspect if we return, we will stay up in that neighborhood.
Anyway, for what started out as somewhat of a question mark in terms of our visit there, we thoroughly enjoyed Tangier. We are now off to Casablanca.
This entry was posted in Africa, Morocco, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
