Sights in Tangier
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Grand Hôtel Villa de France
To the north of Place de France in Ville Nouvelle, down Rue de la Liberté, stands the closed and crumbling Grand Hôtel Villa de France. The French painter Eugène Delacroix stayed here in 1832, when it really was a grand hotel. His fellow artist and compatriot, Henri Matisse, followed in the early 1900s.
Of the many artists who have passed through Tangier, Matisse is one of the most famous. The French impressionist and leading light of the early 20th-century Fauvist movement called Tangier a 'painter's paradise'. His two visits to the city, in the spring of 1912 and again the following winter, had a profound influence on his work.
Inspired by the luminous North African l…
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Tangier American Legation Museum
Morocco was, surprisingly, the very first country to recognise the fledgling United States, and this was the first piece of American real estate abroad (look for the letter of thanks from George Washington to Sultan Moulay Suleyman). It is also the only US National Historic Landmark on foreign soil, and undoubtedly the only one that contains an American flag in the form of a Berber rug. But you don’t have to care about American history to visit the Legation. The elegant five-storey mansion holds an eclectic collection that, in classic Tangerine fashion, resists categorisation. An impressive display of paintings and prints is a dreamy trip through the Tangerine past throug…
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Kasbah Museum
This museum is perfectly sited in Dar el-Makhzen, the former sultan’s palace (where Portuguese and British governors also lived) and has recently been completely redone. The new focus is on the history of the area from prehistoric times to the 19th century, most of it presented in seven rooms around a central courtyard. Placards are in French and Arabic, but English brochures are available. Some highlights are an enormous flint tool about the size of a human head; a crushed wine container with scenes of a bacchanalian feast (there must be something in the local water supply…); an extraordinary floor mosaic from Volubilis; and a fascinating wall map of trade routes past an…
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Musée de la Fondation Lorin
Housed in a former synagogue, the Musée de la Fondation Lorin is a gem of a place if you're interested in Tangier's 20th-century history. A large peaceful room houses an engaging collection of photographs, newspaper cuttings and posters of Tangier from 1890 to the 1960s.The Moroccan and foreign great and good are all well represented, from Mohammed V and Winston Churchill to Caid McLean, Emily Keane and the artist James McBeay. There are some fascinating street scenes, and an early brochure from the El Minzah Hotel, advertising its tennis courts and boar hunting.
The foundation also holds exhibitions and classes for disadvantaged children from the area. You can see a dis…
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beaches
The beaches of Tangier are decent for a seaside stroll or an afternoon aperitif, but not for swimming or surfing. The sand itself is clean enough for a city beach and still manages to attract beachcombers, football-playing kids and the odd courting couple. A stroll in the sea breeze is a good way to clear the air if Tangier's hustlers have been over-attentive. Football matches take place here at weekends and in the evening and the beach bars strung along the sand can be fun.
Besides bars, these places also have changing cabins, showers and deckchairs. The much-reduced European gay population still frequents certain bars; women will feel extremely exposed sunning themselve…
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Petit Socco
Gone are the days when William Burroughs could cheerfully write of the endless stream of louche offers from young boys and men around the Petit Socco. Nowadays, the busy little square in the medina is a great place to linger over a mint tea, watch the world go by and contemplate its colourful past. And sleaze remains close to the surface: you'll have plenty of offers of 'something special, my friend' and several of the cheap pensions overlooking the square still double as brothels.
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residence of the naib
A few doors down from the Church of the Immaculate Conception, at No 41 on Rue as-Siaghin in the medina, is the old residence of the naib , who was the point of contact between the Moroccan leader and European legations until 1923. Inside is a small courtyard filled with orange trees. Another reminder of international Tangier is the huge painted sign for the British Bank of West Africa on a nearby wall. Continue downhill to emerge onto the Petit Socco.
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St Andrew’s Church
A short walk down Rue d’Angleterre brings you to one of the more charming oddities of Tangier, St Andrew’s Church. Built from 1894 to 1905, on land granted by Queen Victoria, the interior of this Anglican church is in Moorish style, with no graven images, and the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic. Behind the altar is a cleft that indicates the direction of Mecca; carved quotes are from the Koran. What were the local builders thinking?
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Grand Socco
The gateway to the medina is the Grand Socco, once as full of life as Place Djemaa el-Fna in Marrakesh. Its official name, Place du 9 Avril 1947, refers to the date that Mohammed V first publicly allied himself to the cause of Moroccan independence. The square was being rebuilt and gentrified during research, so it's hard to know if its soul will survive. The best we may hope for is that the terrible traffic surrounding the square is tamed.
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Gran Teatro de Cervantes
Beneath the Terrasse des Paresseux in Ville Nouvelle, in a side street off Rue Salah Eddine el-Ayoubi, the Gran Teatro de Cervantes is a remnant of the days when Spaniards formed the largest non-Moroccan community in Tangier. Opened in 1913, the theatre enjoyed its zenith between the wars. You can't miss the dazzling Art Deco façade, but the building has long been in decline.
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Tomb of Sidi Hosni
From the Petit Socco in the medina, Rue des Almohades (formerly Rue des Chrétiens) takes you north, past some very determined shopkeepers, to join Rue M Torres. From here, if you stick to the wider streets and continue uphill and you should eventually emerge near a little, white domed building that contains the Tomb of Sidi Hosni. Nearby is the Sidi Hosni Palace.
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Medina
The gateway to the medina is the Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947). From here, enter the medina by Rue Semmarine through a gate surrounded by Riffian women selling fruit and vegetables. This is Rue as-Siaghin. This was once Tangier's main gold market (a fair number of jewellery stores remain). South of here was the mellah (old Jewish quarter).
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Musée d'Art Contemporain
Housed in the former British consulate, the Musée d'Art Contemporain displays examples of Moroccan art, mainly from the 1980s and early '90s. Given the Islamic injunction against figurative art, the paintings tend towards the abstract. Notable exhibits include the exuberant colours of Fatima Hassan, and the African styles of Mohammed Hamid.
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Grande Mosquée
From the Petit Socco in the medina, Rue Jemaa el-Kebir (formerly Rue de la Marine) leads east past the Grande Mosquée. It is said to have been the site of a Roman temple, and at one time housed a church built by the Portuguese. A little further on you reach a scenic overlook over the port.
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Place de France
The area around Place de France and Blvd Pasteur still hints at something of the glamour of the 1930s. It's a popular place for an early evening promenade, or a few hours sipping mint tea in one of the many pavement cafés. Don't forget to look up at the Riviera architecture.
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Church of the Immaculate Conception
Heading down Rue as-Siaghin from the gateway of the medina, you soon pass the lovely Spanish Church of the Immaculate Conception on your right, built in 1880 when Spaniards comprised one-fifth of Tangier's population.
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Kasbah
The Kasbah sits on the highest point of the city, behind stout walls. It is dominated by Dar el-Makhzen, the former sultan's palace. Coming from the medina, you enter through Bab el-Aassa, the southeastern gate.
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Terrasse des Paresseux
The aptly named Terrasse des Paresseux, provides sweeping views of the port and, on a clear day, Gibraltar and Spain. A set of ancient cannons faces the bay, symbolically warding off usurpers.
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Sidi Hosni Palace
The Sidi Hosni Palace is where Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress, lived and gave some of her grandest parties.
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Galerie Delacroix
The exhibition hall of the Institut Français; hosts temporary exhibitions.
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1001 Nights
In the 1950s Tangier's kasbah was the setting for a legendary café called 1001 Nights, which was established by Brion Gysin, the artist who introduce the cut-up writing technique to William Burroughs. The café was famous for its house band of trance musicians - the Master Musicians of Jajouka - who later released a record produced by the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones. Long-closed for renovation, no one seems to know if it will ever reopen.
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