Sat majestically above the Strait of Gibraltar, the city has a rich and colourful history. Tangier ( tan-JEER; Arabic: طنجة, romanized: Ṭanjah) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. An eclectic mix of architectural styles line the streets reflecting the international past of Tangier.
Many civilisations and cultures have influenced the history of Tangier, starting from before the 10th century BCE. Starting as a strategic Phoenician town and trading centre, Tangier has been a nexus for many cultures. In 1923, it became an international zone managed by colonial powers and became a destination for many European and American diplomats, spies, bohemians, writers and businessmen. By the early 21st century, Tangier was undergoing rapid development and modernisation. Projects include tourism projects along the bay, a modern business district called Tangier City Centre, an airport terminal, and a football stadium.
Tangier was formally known as Colonia Julia Tingi ("The Julian Colony of Tingis") following its elevation to colony status during the Roman Empire. The old Berber name was Tingi (ⵜⵉⵏⴳⵉ). The Greeks later claimed that Tingís (Ancient Greek: Τιγγίς) had been named for Tinjis, a daughter of the Titan Atlas, who was supposed to support the vault of heaven nearby. Latin Tingis then developed into Portuguese Tânger, Spanish Tánger, and French Tanger, which entered English as Tangier and Tangiers.
Moroccan historian Ahmed Toufiq considers that the name "Tingi" has the same etymology as Tinghir, and is composed of "Tin", which is a feminine particle that could be translated as "owner" or "she who has", and "gi" which may have originally been "ig", meaning "high location". This corresponds to the popular Moroccan phrase Tanja l-ɛalya (Tangier the High), which may be a remnant echo of the original meaning, as well as a reference to the high location of Tangier.
Location of Tangier within Morocco
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Early History and Phoenician Roots
Tangier was founded as a Phoenician colony, possibly as early as the 10th century BCE and almost certainly by the 8th century BCE. The Carthaginians developed it as an important port of their empire by the 5th century BCE. It was probably involved with the expeditions of Hanno the Navigator along the West African coast. The city long preserved its Phoenician traditions, issuing bronze coins under the Mauretanian kings with Punic script.
The Greeks knew this town as Tingis and, with some modification, record the Berber legends of its founding. Supposedly Tinjis, daughter of Atlas and widow of Antaeus, slept with Hercules and bore him the son Syphax. Tingis came under the control of the Roman ally Mauretania during the Punic Wars. Q. Sertorius, in his war against Sulla's regime in Rome, took and held Tingis for several years in the 70s BCE.
Probably invited by Count Boniface, who feared war with the empress dowager, tens of thousands of Vandals under Gaiseric crossed into North Africa in 429 CE and occupied Tingis and Mauretania as far east as Calama.
Islamic Rule and the Berber Revolt
Under the Umayyads, Tangier served as the capital of the Moroccan district (Maghreb al-Aqsa or al-Udwa) of the province of Africa (Ifriqiya). The conquest of the Maghreb and Spain had, however, been undertaken principally as raids for slaves and plunder and the caliphate's leadership continued to treat all Berbers as pagans or slaves for tax purposes, even after their wholesale conversion to Islam. In the area around Tangier, these hateful taxes were mostly paid in female slaves or in tender lambskins obtained by beating the ewes to induce premature birth.
Governor Yazid was murdered by Berber guards whom he had tattooed as slaves in c. 720, and in the 730s, similar treatment from Governor Ubayd Allah and al-Muradi, his deputy at Tangier, provoked the Berber Revolt. Inspired by the egalitarian Kharijite heresy, Barghawata and others under Maysara al-Matghari seized Tangier in the summer of 740. In the Battle of the Nobles on the city's outskirts a few months later, Maysara's replacement Khalid ibn Hamid massacred the cream of Arab nobility in North Africa. The Shia Arab refugee Idris arrived at Tangier before moving further south, marrying into local tribes around Moulay Idriss and assembling an army that, among its other conquests, took Tangier c. 790.
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The Fatimid caliph Abdullah al-Madhi began interfering in Morocco in the early 10th century, prompting the Umayyad emir of Cordova to proclaim himself caliph and to begin supporting proxies against his rivals. He helped the Maghrawa Berbers overrun Melilla in 927, Ceuta in 931, and Tangier in 949. Tangier's governor was subsequently named chief over Cordova's Moroccan possessions and allies. Ali ibn Hammud, named Cordova's governor for Ceuta in 1013, took advantage of the realm's civil wars to conquer Tangier and Málaga before overrunning Cordova itself and proclaiming himself caliph in 1016.
Portuguese and English Rule
Like Ceuta, Tangier did not initially acknowledge the Marinids after the fall of the Almohads. The next century was an obscure time of rebellions and difficulties for the city. When the Portuguese started their colonial expansion by taking Ceuta in retribution for its piracy in 1415, Tangier was always a major goal. They failed to capture it in 1437, 1458, and 1464, but occupied it unopposed on 28 August 1471 after its garrison fled upon learning of the conquest of Asilah.
As in Ceuta, they converted its chief mosque into the town's cathedral church; it was further embellished by several restorations during the town's occupation. In addition to the cathedral, the Portuguese raised European-style houses and Franciscan and Dominican chapels and monasteries. The Wattasids assaulted Tangier in 1508, 1511, and 1515 but without success. Iberian rule lasted until 1661, when it was given to England's King Charles II as part of the dowry of the Portuguese infanta Catherine of Braganza. A squadron under the admiral and ambassador Edward Montagu arrived in November. The English took advantage of the respite to improve greatly the Portuguese defences. They also planned to improve the harbour by building a mole, which would have allowed it to play the same role that Gibraltar later played in British naval strategy.
The International Zone
Tangier's geographic location made it a centre of European diplomatic and commercial rivalry in Morocco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the 1870s, it was the site of every foreign embassy and consul in Morocco but only held about 400 foreign residents out of a total population of around 20,000. The city increasingly came under French influence, and it was here in 1905 that Kaiser Wilhelm II triggered an international crisis that almost led to war between his country and France by pronouncing himself in favour of Morocco's continued independence, with an eye to its future acquisition by the German Empire.
In 1905 the first Moroccan newspaper, Lisan al-Maghrib ("The Voice of Morocco"), was established in Tangier on the order of Sultan Abdelaziz, partly with the aim of counteracting the views expressed by al-Sa'adah, an Arabic newspaper established in 1904 or 1905 by the French embassy in the city. The newspaper was founded and managed on behalf of the government by two Lebanese journalists, Faraj and Artur Numur. It later became more notorious for publishing reformist ideas and views critical of the sultan.
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In 1912, the Treaty of Fes established the French protectorate over most of Morocco and Spanish rule in the country's far south and north, but left Tangier's status for further determination. The Tangier International Zone was created under the joint administration of France, Spain and the United Kingdom by an international convention signed in Paris on 18 December 1923. The European powers' creation of the statute of Tangier promoted the formation of a cosmopolitan society where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together with reciprocal respect and tolerance.
A town where men and women, with many different political and ideological tendencies, found refuge, including Spaniards from the right or from the left, Jews fleeing Nazi Germany and Moroccan dissidents. Spanish troops occupied Tangier on 14 June 1940, the same day Paris fell to the Germans. In July 1952 the protecting powers met at Rabat to discuss the International Zone's future, agreeing to abolish it.
Geography and Climate
Central Tangier lies about 23 km (14 mi) east of Cape Spartel, the southern half of the Strait of Gibraltar. It nestles between two hills at the northwest end of the Bay of Tangier, which historically formed the best natural harbour anywhere on the Moroccan coast before the increasing size of ships required anchorage to be made further and further from shore. The shape of the gradually-rising underlying terrain creates the effect of the city as an amphitheatre, with the commercial district in the middle. The western hill (French: La Montagne) is the site of the city's citadel or kasbah.
Tangier has a mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) with heavier rainfall than most parts of North Africa and nearby areas on the Iberian Peninsula owing to its exposed location. The prevailing winds blow from the sea and have kept the site generally healthy even in earlier times with much poorer sanitation. The summers are relatively hot and sunny and the winters are wet and mild.
Meteogram for Tangier
Economy and Modern Development
Tangier is Morocco's second most important industrial centre after Casablanca. The industrial sectors are diversified: textile, chemical, mechanical, metallurgical and naval. Tangier's economy relies heavily on tourism. In the 1960s and '70s, Tangier formed part of the hippie trail. Since 2010, however, King Mohammed VI has made a point of restoring the city's shipping and tourist facilities and improving its industrial base.
Seaside resorts have been increasing with projects funded by foreign investments. Real estate and construction companies have been investing heavily in tourist infrastructures. A bay delimiting the city centre extends for more than 7 km (4 mi). Tanger-Med, a new port 40 km (25 mi) outside Tangier proper, began construction in 2004 and became functional in 2007. Its site plays a key role in connecting maritime regions, as it is in a very critical position on the Strait of Gibraltar, which passes between Europe and Africa.
The makeup of the new port is 85% transhipment 15% for domestic import and export activities. The port is distinguished by its size, infrastructure, and efficiency in managing the flow of ships. Tanger-Med has linked Morocco to Europe's freight industry. It has also helped connect Morocco to countries in the Mediterranean, Africa, and America. Agriculture in the area of Tangier is tertiary and mainly cereal. The city is chiefly famed for tangerines, a kind of mandarin orange hybrid first grown in the orchards then once south of the medina, but it was never commonly exported.
Transportation
The old town is still surrounded by the remains of what was once more than 1,829 metres (6,000 ft) of stone rampart. Most of it dates to the town's Portuguese occupation, with restoration work later undertaken at different times. Railway lines connect Tanger-Ville railway station with Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakesh in the south, and with Fes and Oujda in the east. In November 2018 Africa's first high-speed train, the Kenitra-Tangier high-speed rail line, was inaugurated, linking Tangier to Casablanca in 2 hours, 10 minutes.
The Rabat-Tangier expressway connects Tangier to Fes via Rabat 250 km (155 mi), and Settat via Casablanca 330 km (205 mi) and Tanger-Med port. The new Tanger-Med port is managed by the Danish firm A. P. Moller-Maersk Group and will free up the old port for tourist and recreational development. Several ferries per day connect Tangier-Ville Ferry Terminal to Tarifa, and Tangier-Med to Algeciras. Tangier's Ibn Batouta International Airport and the rail tunnel will serve as the gateway to the Moroccan Riviera, the littoral area between Tangier and Oujda.
Education
Tangier offers four types of education systems: Arabic, French, Spanish and English. Each offers classes starting from pre-Kindergarten up to the 12th grade, as for German in the three last years of high school. Many universities are inside and outside the city. Universities like the Institut Supérieur International de Tourisme (ISIT), which grants diplomas, offer courses ranging from business administration to hotel management. The institute is one of the most prestigious tourism schools in the country. Other colleges such as the École Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion (ENCG-T) is among the biggest business schools in the country as well as École Nationale des Sciences appliquées (ENSA-T), a rising engineering school for applied sciences. University known as Abdelmaled Essaadi holding many what they mainly known as faculties; Law, Economics and Social scien...
Exploring Modern Tangier
This coastal city is on the up and up thanks to its charming mix of colourful history, old school charm and a buzzing creative scene. Plus you get rolling Atlantic coast. Just combine a trip to Marrakech with a few days in Tangier and you’ve got a perfect week in Morocco.
With all its history, a guided tour of Tangier is a must. Wander through the Kasbah and into the souk. (The food market is a highlight.) Dotted around town, you’ll also find royal palaces, viewpoints and Roman remains as well as museums.
The Grand Socco is the beating heart of Tangier. This bustling square, whose name derives from the Spanish corruption of the Arabic word “souk,” has long been a central hub of activity and commerce. This market offers visitors a panoramic view of Tangier and the sea, making it an ideal spot to soak in the city’s atmosphere and observe local life. Significance of this place extends beyond its role as a public square. It acts as a cultural crossroads, reflecting Tangier’s rich history and diverse influences. The plaza’s transformation over time mirrors the city’s own journey, making it an essential stop for those seeking to understand Tangier’s unique character and Morocco’s cultural heritage.
This location holds a prominent place in Morocco’s struggle for independence. On April 9, 1947, Sultan Mohammed V delivered a historic speech here, calling for Moroccan independence-a pivotal moment that inspired the national movement. The square’s renaming to “Place du 9 Avril 1947” commemorates this event and its lasting impact on Moroccan identity.
The crafts section of this magical place is a testament to Moroccan artisanship, where skilled craftsmen proudly showcase their handmade creations. Intricate carpets, leather goods, pottery, metalwork, and textiles reflect Morocco’s rich cultural heritage, creating an array of items that capture the essence of Moroccan design.
Bordering the Grand Socco, the Mendoubia Gardens are a green haven in the heart of Tangier. Among its most famous features is the towering “Diplomats’ Tree,” a 200-year-old banyan that once served as a gathering spot for foreign dignitaries. Not far from the this spot, the Sidi Bou Abid Mosque stands with its distinctive minaret visible from the square. Dating back to the 18th century, this mosque is dedicated to a local saint and showcases traditional Moroccan architectural beauty.
Perched on the edge of the Grand Socco, Cinema Rif is an art deco gem and a cultural landmark for Tangier’s vibrant arts scene. Built in the 1940s, the cinema has long been a hub for the city’s creative community. Today, it continues this legacy by screening independent and international films, hosting festivals, and supporting local artists.
Modern coffee spots sit alongside traditional tea houses, offering a variety of choices for every taste. Aromatic coffee, refreshing mint tea, and a range of snacks and pastries create a welcoming experience for patrons.
Located centrally in Tangier’s Ville Nouvelle, the Grand Socco provides easy access to transportation options that make exploring the city a breeze. Taxis are readily available for quick rides to various parts of Tangier, while nearby bus stops connect to major destinations.
Where to Shop
- New Tangier: Kenza Bennani channels her experience at Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton to create showstopping one off dresses, kaftans and separates.
- Las Chicas: You’ll find fun fashion, homeware and beauty products in this boutique just next to the Kasbah.
- Tangier Records: Pop in and pick up some vinyl.
- Rock Da Kasbah: A great place to pick up t-shirts and sweatshirts for adults and children.
- Gallery Kent/Gallery Tindouf: Gallery Kent is the place to go for contemporary art but if you’re after more classic art, as well a jewellery, carpets and furniture, then head to Tindouf.
Where to Eat & Drink
- Villa Josephine: Yves Saint Laurent’s picturesque former home has been transformed by Jasper Conran into a luxury hotel that you can also visit for cocktails on the terrace followed by dinner in the chic dining room.
- El Morocco Club: This place is dripping with the ghosts of Tangier past. After dinner on the ground floor, head downstairs to the basement piano bar where the atmosphere is turned up to the max.
- Chez Mounir: About 40 minutes drive from Tangier on the road to Asilah, Chez Mounir is a real slice of beach paradise.
- L’Ocean: Keep your eye out for glimpses of some of Tangier’s most glamorous homes as you drive up the ‘Old Mountain’ road to get to L’Ocean where you can have a great lunch with a view of the Atlantic.
- Cafe Hafa: Cafe Hafa opened in 1921 and is a Tangier institution. Everyone from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones have drunk a coffee on its pretty terraces overlooking the coast.
Cinema Rif: Tangier’s Cultural Heartbeat
Now housing the Cinémathèque de Tanger, the city’s Art Deco Cinéma Rif has long carried the torch of North African and global cinema in Morocco. From the iconic building’s construction in 1938 to its current dual-continent Festival de Cine Africano (or the Festival Tarifa Tanger) and its extensive archives and preservation activities, decades of culture have been projected and protected within; it’s also Morocco’s only art house cinema, playing current films from all over the world.
The liquid is merely an accompaniment to conversation. Cinéma Rif is located on the Grand Socco at Place du 9 Avril 1947.
Tazi Palace
Secluded in the hills overlooking Tangier amid 3.5 acres of gardens planted with olive, palm and eucalyptus trees, the Tazi Palace is a relic of more glamorous times. Built in the 1920s for Mendoub Ahmed Tazi, an advisor to the king of Morocco, the labyrinthine villa is distinguished by its ornate, creamy-coloured Moorish façade and a central honeycomb of skylights, which allow light to flood into the 40-foot-high foyer.
Their interior design evokes the glamour of the 1920s. The 133 guest rooms, suites and penthouses are decorated in a Mediterranean-inspired palette of turquoise, sandy beige and white, and embellished with details in gold, bronze and stone. Amid the tranquil gardens is a dramatic black marble swimming pool; elsewhere, the Fairmont Spa boasts hammams, a solarium and a yoga studio, and there are no less than seven restaurants and bars to hop between.
The Fairmont Tazi Palace speaks to the growing trend for sustainable travel, both in its imaginative re-use of an old building, and in its modus operandi. Waste is strictly minimised, with eco-friendly corn toothbrushes and plastic-free minibars, both standard.
Table: Key Historical Periods of Tangier
| Period | Description |
|---|---|
| Phoenician Era | Founded as a trading colony, possibly as early as the 10th century BCE. |
| Roman Rule | Known as Colonia Julia Tingi, an important part of the Roman Empire. |
| Islamic Rule | Served as the capital of the Moroccan district under the Umayyads. |
| Portuguese Occupation | Occupied in 1471, with significant architectural and religious changes. |
| English Rule | Briefly under English control as part of a royal dowry. |
| International Zone | Under joint administration of France, Spain, and the UK, fostering a cosmopolitan society. |
TANGIER Walking Tour – Grand Socco MARKET & Central Fish Market | Morocco 4K HDR
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