Tours From Tangier

Medina:

The Medina of Tanger has not lost its original charm despite having been modified by the great European influence during the last 140 years, in particular by the construction of numerous houses for diplomats and European personnel. It has the charm of the Arab medinas and some areas of walls with circular towers of Portuguese origin.

These are the main parts:

Big Souk:

An old rural market, today called 9 Plaza de Abril and the nerve center of the city. It is an arena surrounded by souks and markets, recently renovated.

Main facts:

– Sidi Bu Abid Mosque with ceramic minaret from 1917.
– The Menddub Palace and La Medubia, with its gardens where centuries-old dredges and remains of canyons of the seventeenth – eighteenth centuries are found. Behind it is the Muslim cemetery.
– In front of it, is the door of Bab Fahs, where the medina begins with the interesting market and the street Siagín.

Small Souk:

Entering Siagin Street is the former Catholic Church of the Purísima, today the social center of the daughters of Charity of Calcutta. Next to it, we have Dar Niaba, the first residence of Sultan Mendub’s ambassador in Tanger in the 19th century.
In this street visit the Fondak of Shiaguin, classic accommodation before colonization.

The small souk is a small square surrounded by cafes and old hostels, located at the end of Siagin Street.
Highlights include the Tingis and Central cafes, meeting places for artists of the international era of the city. Next to the Café Tingis begins the street of the Mouahidines, the main craft sales area (see shopping in Tanger).

Near it, in the direction of the port, is the Great Mosque, located on the site of the old Roman capital and which was a cathedral in Portuguese times under the name of the Holy Spirit. Its entrance door stands out.

The walls of Tangier:

The walls of Tangiers have thirteen access doors and seven defense batteries. It is a square bastion, polygonal and semicircular towers, some watchtowers, and a way to make the round.

Following the lively street Marina, which takes us to the port, we pass through the gates of Bab el Mars or Bab et Borj Dar Dbagh, next to the old Portuguese walls. These gates were rebuilt and consolidated between 1661 and 1684 by the English and later restored by the Alawite sultans, who erected more fortifications, which can be seen in the area of the port.

Next to Bab Marsa is the Borj el Hajoui, surrounded by houses, an exhibition center, and concerts. At the north end, we will see the Tour Dar el Baroud, armed for the defense of the city, and in front of it the new Mosque of the Port.

In front of the port, we will find the mythical Hotel Continental, on the building of the old customs, where artists and politicians of the international epoch resided. It is a great place to enjoy Moroccan tea and watch the ferries coming and going in the port. Inside, it is worth visiting the breakfast room to discover the original mosaic walls and painted ceilings.

The Kasbah:

The Kasba or Kasbah is the upper area of the medina, surrounded by walls, with beautiful views of the bay Tanger and the port.
It is accessed from the Zoco Chico, going up the typical streets of the Medina, or outside, the avenue of Italy.
In the Alcazaba is the former governor’s palace, Dar el Markhzen, with beautiful courtyards and gardens. Today it is home to the Museum of Moroccan Arts and the attached palace, Dar Shorfa, is home to the archaeological museum.

Completing the interest of the area is The Mosque Bit El-Mal, with its octagonal minaret, Dar esh-Shera, former court, and the Kasbah Square from where you can admire a beautiful panoramic view of the bay, in the Kasbah we can visit the Museum of Mediterranean Cultures.
To the north is Bab Kasba and the Ben Amar tower, which leads to the Marshan district.

Nearby we can visit the tombs of Ibn Batouta, and Ibn Khaldun the explorer and eminent sociologist economist of the Middle Ages respectively, of great historical mythological interest.