The contrail of an airplane crosses the orange sky above Plaza 9 de Abril in Tangier. On one of the facades of the roundabout that separates the main souk from the rest of the city, stands a building that is much more than simple concrete, it is a cinematographic enclave: Cinéma Rif. On the terrace, tea glasses clink with silver trays; Inside, a youthful bustle mixed with the tobacco smoke that sneaks into the premises. It’s Saturday afternoon.
The Cinema Rif, a symbol of contemporary Morocco, was reborn in 2007 as the headquarters of the Tangier Cinematheque. Founded in the first half of the 20th century under an international protectorate, it witnessed a time of eccentricity, colonialism and cultural encounters. In its heyday, Tangier attracted artists, writers and outsiders looking for inspiration. Great works were written there. Today, in this corner of the city revitalized by the French-Moroccan photographer Yto Barreda, cinema has given way to a space for cultural dialogue that projects Arab and African works.
The Kasbah of Tangier, the Jewish quarter at the top of the city
At the highest point in Tangier, a small covered portico welcomes you to a fortified space. On this hill in the Moroccan city, a labyrinth of unordered alleys is formed that hides tiny squares, artisans’ workshops and small groups of tourists and curious onlookers. In the Jewish quarter you can also visit places such as the old palace built in the 17th century, Dar-el-Mahkzen, known in turn as the Governor’s Palace, now converted into a museum.
In addition to a mandatory stop on the Kasbah tour, Dar-el-Mahkzen was used as a residence by the sultans of Morocco during their visits to the city. Inside the building are two interior patios adorned with tiles, marble and carved wooden ceilings. Among some of the relics, jewelry, crafts and manuscripts, a Roman mosaic from Volubilis, an ancient Maura city located in Morocco, stands out.
The heart, Moroccan style: the Medina
The crash of a wheelbarrow against the cobblestones of the ground. The smell of fresh meat after the flight of a hen’s feathers. The curious tourist who peeks his gaze between Moroccan teapots and practices haggling. Going down the hill from the Jewish quarter the rest of the medina or souk of Tangier expands. The area is divided between the Great Souk and the Small Souk.
The Grand Souk, which in the past was the main gold market, has today been transformed into dozens of jewelry stores that evoke that legacy. For its part, the Souk Chico is the most picturesque version. Traditional Moroccan slippers, goldsmith lamps and countless carpets predominate among its streets.
A viewpoint between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic
Far from the hustle and bustle of the city center, the blue of the sky and the sea merge on the horizon. In the background, several rocks loom and the Strait of Gibraltar blurs the 14 kilometers of separation between Spain and Morocco. Between one of the slopes of the cliffs, Café Hafa is hidden. Founded in 1921, as Cinéma Rif it was also a meeting point for artists and intellectuals. The tables and chairs are distributed on staggered terraces, no one misses the sea views.
A few meters away, in the Marshan neighborhood, there is an ancient Phoenician necropolis with more than 50 tombs excavated directly into the rock. The vestige of the Phoenician civilization that once dominated the Mediterranean is now a meeting and picnic spot. A group of women are sitting on the graves, in their hands they hide a mountain of salted peanuts and the plastic bag full of Moroccan sweets indicates that the feast is not over yet.
A tour of Spanish-influenced buildings
From the beginning of the 20th century until the independence of Morocco, Tangier took on Spanish airs during the time of the protectorate that have still left their urban imprint today. Some of the most characteristic and notable places are Kuwait Square, formerly known as Iberia Square, with an old hunting reserve where Spain built several buildings for expatriate communities, including the consulate itself, the Cervantes Institute and a Spanish hospital. In terms of education, centers such as the Ramón y Cajal School or the Severo Ochoa Institute still operate today.
Inaugurated in 1913, the Cervantes Theater, which today is hidden between scaffolding and endless works, was the largest hall in North Africa, with a capacity of 1,400 people. The facades follow the trail of Spanish influence on Boulevard Pasteur, with buildings such as Casa Toledano or Avenida Mohamed VI, former Avenida de España, where the former Franco consulate was built.
Number One
Not even a pin can fit on its walls: hobbies, riddles, sayings, advice and photographs with all those personalities who have visited that place that, as its owner comments in Spanish, “is not what it used to be.” In front of the Rembrandt Hotel and after entering through the portal of a conventional building, you will find one of the bars with the greatest personality in the Moroccan city.
Assilah: an escape to a haven of peace
When the sun goes down, silence reigns. The nights of Assilah rest from the groups of tourists who, during the day, tour all its picturesque corners. At 12 noon, a dozen tourist buses pile up on the esplanade on the outskirts of the old town. 12 hours later, one of the supervisors, sitting on a plastic chair, dozes off. Work slows down. In the area closest to the waves, the saltpeter jumps into the air with every hit against the rocks. Some young women are chatting at the bottom of the breakwater. Their voices and the sea, nothing more.
Assilah, known in ancient times as Zilil, was founded by the Phoenicians, who established a port there to facilitate trade in the Mediterranean. The geostrategic importance of this Moroccan enclave grew from the 15th century, when the Portuguese took it in 1471. During this time, the city was fortified and became a key commercial center on the route to the Azores and other destinations in Europe and Africa. After the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1589, Assilah passed into the hands of the Arabs, and the city was fully fortified under the control of the Alawite dynasty.
In the 19th century, during European colonial rule, Assilah was briefly ceded to Spain, but it was after Moroccan independence in 1956 that the city experienced a cultural renaissance. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Assilah has established itself as a meeting point between Arab, Berber, Portuguese and Spanish traditions.
#Tangier #visit #Moroccan #city #side #Strait
