Tangier is a city located in the northwest of Morocco. It is known for being the intersection between Europe and Africa, the meeting point between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and between the West and the East. It is a city rich in history and coveted.
It is said that Tangier was the first land discovered by Noah after the Flood. At the sight of traces of clay on the beak of the dove sent out as a scout, he is said to have exclaimed « Tine ja », meaning “the earth has come”, whence the name Tinja, which became Tanja in Arabic.
According to Greek mythology, the city of Tangier was founded by the Giant Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Gaia, and owes its name to TINGO (or TINGA!), the founder’s wife. Antaeus drew his strength from contact with the earth; Hercules strangled him by holding him aloft. Antaeus’s tomb would be a hill near Tangier, the CHARF.
Tangier was occupied by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, who established a trading post there, and then by the Byzantine Empire. These were followed by Spanish, Portuguese and Arab conquests, after which it became an international city. It later returned under Moroccan authority.
All these occupations were motivated by the strategic position of the city of Tangier. Its turbulent history has left it with a great heritage. One can still admire the ramparts that fortify the city of Tangier. They would date from the time when Portugal controlled the city.
The great mosque was built in the 17th century by Moulay Ismaïl on the site formerly occupied by the Portuguese cathedral. The majestic mosque is entered through a doorway decorated with interlaced designs against a background of carved and painted wooden mosaic, with inscriptions in Kufic script.
Today things have changed a great deal. This former Moroccan city dominates northern Morocco. It has become the second industrial city of the country with the establishment of an automobile production center, Tangier is also a port for commerce and passengers in connection with the Spanish ports of Málaga and Algeciras. It has been expanded by a new container port (Tanger-Med) and the creation of a free zone. Tangier is also an important tourist center. It has a picturesque old town, clinging to a hill, dominated by the kasbah, which sharply contrasts with the modern city spreading along the bay or the roads that lead to Rabat or Tetouan. The T.G.V. between Tangier and Casablanca entered service in 2018.
It attracts more and more tourists every year. Its medina and its architecture delight visitors with their shops and its souk. Its beaches on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea are much appreciated and splendid.
It is a city with a turbulent history that continues to draw attention. It evolves and becomes more beautiful year after year.
