At the crossroads of civilisation, where the
Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean, Tangier flaunts its magnificent
bay below lush green hills. From the "Place de la Kasbah", the highest
point in the medina, you can visit the sultan's palace where every aspect
of moroccan art can be seen in the rooms round the courtyard. Or you can
stroll down alleyways of the medina to the terrace overlooking the straits
of Gibraltar. Close by, various excursions can be made including Cape
Spartel -the extreme north- westerly point of Africa, close to the famous
Caves of Hercules and Cape Malabata.
Caves of Hercules
Its strategic position making it a crossroads
of t civilisations, Tangier, gateway to the African continent, looks
across at Europe from the shores of Atlantic and Mediterranean alike. As a
meeting-point of routes to so many different destination, Tangier has
inevitably been marked by the of History-Phoenicians, Berbers, Portuguese
and Spaniards had all left their indelible mark on the city before it
passed into Moroccan hands.
As do most of the Kingdoms towns, Tangier,
the White City, possesses its Medina, the old Arab town containing a pair
of picturesque markets : the Big Souk and the Small souk.
Tangier is also renowned for the Mendoubia
gardens, with their eight-hundred-year-old trees, the Sidi Bouabid Mosque,
its minaret decorated with multi-hued faiences dominating the Medina, the
Kasbah Square with its portico of white marble columns, and the great
Mechouar where the pashas were once wont to give audience. The status of
international free zone which the city enjoyed for a number of years added
to Tangier's celebrity, and it bas become an obligatory stop-off for any
tourist in search of the real Morocco.
