In Tangiers there aren’t very many “sights” in the traditional sense and Tangiers has no need of them anyway. Instead, the city possesses an extremely unique atmosphere.
Everyone here knows a poet, a princess or a pop star. Tangiers was a magnet for celebrities, spies and hust-
lers for decades. From 1912 until the late 1950s, the city was a free-trade zone, internationally governed and politically neutral. At that time, Tangiers was the place to get things that were deemed illegal, immoral or too expensive elsewhere.
In two short years, through a series of screenings, workshops and festi-
vals, the Cinématheque de Tangiers has grown into possibly the city’s most significant cultural institution. The young people here are hungry for culture, the audiences are unbiased and open to new ideas.
Ancient and modern intersect at Grand Socco: the world of the pedestrian caught up in the hubbub of
the bazaar, and the incessant honking of the taxis, scooters and minibuses on the boulevard. Artists
and intellectuals bearing laptops congregate in the Cinématheque’s cafe. Tangiers is booming. Though Morocco’s previous king ignored the obstreperous north, since taking the reins of government in 1999, Mohammed VI has showered the region with special attention. “M6”- as the king is nicknamed - has big plans for his “jewel of the north”. Every month the
city gobbles up more of the surrounding countryside, adding factories, luxury apartments, palaces, vacation resorts and one of the largest container ports in the Mediterranean. The pace of development
is staggering.
Viewed from Vieille Montagne, Europe appears as a minuscule strip on the horizon. Ships of all kinds ply the Straits of Gibraltar. Just offshore from the vertical coastal cliffs, an isolated villa clings tenaciously to a rocky outcropping. Down below, a buffalo stands in the tall grass. Goats bleat, the dried-up leaves of eucalyp-
tus trees rattle in the wind, oleander bushes proudly fluff themselves up. Cape Spartel, where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean converge, is only a mile or so down the coastline. Tangiers represents the intersec-
tion of two continents, two seas and of other diverse worlds as well. The city may serve as a departure point for thousands of African refugees, but it is also a vaca-
tion destination: the tourism industry is steadily grow-
ing, and with good reason. There are long beaches with soft, fine sand, hidden swimming coves, interesting day trips to take.
Follow the coastline 30 kilometres (18 miles) to the south, and you’ll arrive in a city that looks as lovely
as a freshly-washed blue-striped shirt. The old city’s colours are so vibrant, it almost makes you dizzy. The buildings are resplendent in blue, green, yellow and white. A tour through the city involves climbing up
and down, navigating dark passageways, catching glimpses of shimmering turquoise courtyards.