Tangier City is the capital of North Morocco. It is the closest African Arab city to the continent of Europe. It is also distinguished by its important position in Morocco.
Because of its large population and its own political, industrial, cultural and economic fields, Tangier city is located on the northern side of Morocco, overlooking two seasides, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in the northwest of Africa, and affected by a moderate Mediterranean climate, and the winter is wet and cold The summer is dry and warm.
Tangier city Landmarks
Tangier city includes a group of important historical places, such as forts, palaces, markets, mosques, churches, fences, and other buildings that constitute the landmarks of the ancient and modern tangier medina.
- Tangier Antique Walls: They are walls up to 2,200 m in length and surround five neighbourhoods belonging to Tangier medina, which are Bani Idir, Jinan Qabtan, the Kasbah, Wadi Aherdan, and Dar al-Baroud. The ancient Roman Tingis and there was much construction and restoration work for these walls from 1661 AD to 1684 AD during the period of English rule, and in the eighteenth century AD, several towers were spread on these walls, such as the Peace Tower and the Amer Tower.
- Kasbah Palace: It is also known as Dar Al Makhzen, and it owns a strategic place in the eastern section of the Kasbah. Sultan Moulay Ismail was interested in building it on the remains and ruins of an old English castle. The Kasbah Palace includes several facilities, such as a mosque, a large house, a house of money, prisons, gardens, and In 1938, it was turned into a museum.
- The Great Mosque: It is a mosque located near the Souk Al Dakhil, and it was converted into a church during the Portuguese occupation of Tangier city, and in 1684 AD it returned to a mosque and a lot of construction, restoration and expansion work was done on it. The Great Mosque is distinguished by the use of decorations made of mosaics, inscriptions and writings on wood.
- Al-Jadida Mosque: It is a mosque also known as Al-Nakhil Mosque or Issawa Mosque, and it contains a minaret decorated with mosaic decorations and is located in the tangier medina.
- The American Embassy: It is the first building that became owned by the United States of America in Morocco after Sultan Moulay Suleiman I presented it as a gift to America in 1821 AD, and it has been used as an embassy for the United States for about 135 years, and in 1976 it became a contemporary art museum.
- The Spanish Church: Sultan Muhammad bin Abdullah bought it from two Jewish families in 1760 AD and gave it as a gift to Sweden, where it established its consulate in 1788 AD, and in 1871 AD the Spanish ruler used it as a residence and was keen to build a church there.
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Tangier City Name
Many legends appeared about the name of Tangier city, and each legend relied on a particular civilization and its own story, and among these legends, the emergence of Tangier city dates back to a marine flood that led to a conflict between the powerful marine symbol Atlas and the giant Antey, and Tangier was the widow of Antey who killed him.
Atlas and other opinions that the city is linked to the flood of Noah mentioned in the heavenly books, and there is a story indicating that the name of Tangier goes back to the name of one of the princesses who named the city after her name in order to be a souvenir of her.
The name tangier in the Arabic language is the name by which the city was known and spread in the modern era.
It goes back to the ancient Islamic references and the conquests of Muslims to the lands of the Maghreb and Andalusia, but these references do not help to identify the name of Tangier, as the word Tangier is used in the lexicon of Lisan Al Arab in the sense of travel.
History of Tangier City
The strategic and historical location of Tangier city has contributed to being a point of contact between many civilizations.
Where it was colonized by many peoples throughout history, such as the Vandals, the Punic, the Romans, the Phoenicians, and many other peoples, so there are many monuments and historical sites in Tangier city that testify to the presence of these peoples in it, and in the year 711 AD.
The Islamic conquest reached it and became the transit corridor of the Muslim army to the territory of Spain led by Tariq ibn Ziyad, Which led to the conquest of Andalusia.
Tangier city was distinguished in 1471 AD by a very important role in the field of trade exchange between Portugal and the Arabs, Which led to an increase in the interest of European countries that seek to occupy Morocco in Tangiers due to its importance and characteristics.
England took control of it during the rule of Prince Charles II, and with time it turned into a port for ships as a result of the presence of pirates in it, but Tangier was able to gradually return to its former importance and distinction.
In the time period between 1911 and 1912, an international protocol was signed for Tangier, and in 1923 it became an international zone with its territory, and Tangier was ruled based on the 1925 CE agreement that brought together a group of major countries and the Sultan of Morocco, and in 1929 France, Spain and England agreed to formulate an agreement to administer Tangier.
But Spain was keen to keep Tangiers under control, Which led to its bypassing the international protocol agreement, and in 1956 AD Spain was able to cancel the international protocol supervising the city, and Tangier city returned later in the same year as one of the Moroccan cities.
Tangier city is considered in the modern era one of the most important cultural, commercial, agricultural and industrial cities in Morocco, and in 1962 AD, a commercial port was established in it, and it also contains many gardens, tourist places, and educational institutes, and factories.
