{"id":23573,"date":"2025-11-07T03:45:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=23573"},"modified":"2026-01-01T16:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T21:01:32","slug":"tangiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2025\/11\/07\/tangiers\/","title":{"rendered":"Tangiers"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 35\u00b047’07.7″N 5\u00b048’38.9″W<\/a><\/h6>\n

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Morocco\u2019s ancient port of Tangiers is changing. Since Carol\u2019s last visit 11 years ago, the city has expanded significantly. Hotels and a brand-new international marina now line the bay to the east, while apartment blocks and wholly new neighbourhoods stretch towards the hills south of town. Wide boulevards, sharp angles and lots of glass all shout modernism! And a burgeoning middle class.<\/p>\n

Tangiers old city is as good a representation of what a Moroccan medina should look like as you will find anywhere in the country. That\u2019s not to say every other medina in the country isn\u2019t worth visiting, far from it. But, built as it was on the escarpment overlooking the wide, natural harbour, Tangiers\u2019 adds a verticality that gives it a unique charm. Steep streets and alleyways weave in and out of the densely packed buildings. From a distance the medina looks like a cubist\u2019s fever dream of deconstructed houses flowing across the back of a Mobius strip. Or, if that simile didn\u2019t work for you, one giant, crenelated block of buildings with hundreds of upper floor windows competing for daylight.<\/p>\n

Lost<\/h6>\n

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Head inside and you find a literal maze of shops, restaurants, and apartments all stuccoed and whitewashed. Look up and you might see a sliver of blue sky or a set of wooden rafters supporting a building five stories high. In places the gap between buildings looks no more than a shoulder\u2019s width apart.<\/p>\n

Signage is good. Most intersections are named and labelled. If you had a paper map the signs might mean something. Google maps prioritises navigation by automobile. For pedestrian places like this, it is perfectly useless. While your phone\u2019s GPS might help, you\u2019ll need a clear view of the sky for it to locate you accurately.<\/p>\n

In Tangiers, at least, going downhill means you will inevitably wind up on the beachfront. Head uphill and you will eventually reach one of the plazas at the top of the rise. Once out of the tangle of streets, Google will fly to your aid. Of course, you can always talk to someone and ask for directions (so last century, I know), but people are very friendly in Morocco.<\/p>\n

Take me to the Kasbah<\/h6>\n

Turn right at the top of the hill and you’ll find the Kasbah<\/a>, Tangiers’ 17th century citadel and mosque. Friday evening after couscous families head out for a walk. Kids play blind man’s bluff while tourists take photos of the fishing harbour just below.<\/p>\n

Head a little further west on along the seaward edge and you’ll eventually come to the last vestiges of the Roman Empire’s occupation, the necropolis. If you’re leaving for the afterlife and you’re a sailor, this is a nice area overlooking the strait. Over time your remains will vanish, dust to dust after all, and your hallowed crypt will eventually become a sunny spot for a marmalade cat to warm itself. Right around the corner sits Caf\u00e9 Hafa<\/a>. There you can buy hot, sweet, minty Moroccan tea that warms you as you watch the sun settle into the horizon.<\/p>\n

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