Tangier is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000. It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. It is the capital of the Tangier-Tétouan Region.
The history of Tangier is very rich due to the historical presence of many civilizations and cultures starting from the 5th century BC. Between the period of being a Phoenician town to the independence era around the 1950s, Tangier was a place —and, sometimes a refuge— for many cultural diversities.
Tangier was made an international zone in 1923 under the joint administration of France, Spain, and Britain, joined by Italy, Portugal and Belgium in 1928.
In the 1940s and until 1956 when the city was an International Zone, the city served as a playground for eccentric millionaires, a meeting place for secret agents and all kinds of crooks, and a mecca for speculators and gamblers, an Eldorado for the fun-loving “Haute Volée”. During World War II the Office of Strategic Services operated out of Tangier for various operations in North Africa.
Around the same time, a circle of writers emerged which was to have a profound and lasting literary influence. Paul Bowles, Tennessee Williams and Jean Genet, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Brion Gysin and the Rolling Stones all lived in Tangier.
Nowadays, the city is undergoing rapid development and modernization. Projects include new 5-star hotels along the bay, a modern business district called Tangier City Center, a new airport terminal and a new soccer stadium. Tangier’s economy will also benefit greatly from the new Tanger-med port.
The nightlife is vibrant, the population is cosmopolitan and the cultural vibe is infamous, but try to avoid the Ramadam if you can as everything gets a bit too quiet during the day.
From Tangier, rent a car and drive along the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. The sheer beauty of the views will blow your mind.
View a video about Tangier, the White City (in french)
Cap Spartel and Hercules’ caves (in french)
