Races in spring and summer on the beach.—Arabian ‘Fantasias’ (Laab el-Barood) on horseback on the Mohammedan festivals, in the Inner Market or the Marshan.
Two Days (if time be limited). 1st. In the forenoon, the Main Street and the Inner Market (p. [100]), Outer Market (p. [100]), Marshan (p. [101]), and Kasba (p. [101]); in the afternoon, walk on the beach.—2nd. Excursion to Cape Spartel (p. [101]).
Tangier, Spanish or French Tanger, Arabic Tanja, capital of the Moroccan province of El-Fahs or Fahass, the largest commercial town in the whole country, and the seat of legations from the great powers, lies picturesquely on the hilly W. bank of a shallow bay of the Atlantic. Of the 46,270 inhab. 25,000 are Mohammedans, 12,000 Moroccan Jews, and 9270 foreigners (incl. 7000 Spaniards). The rough and extremely dirty streets of the old town, above whose white sea of houses peeps here and there the minaret of a mosque, afford a genuine picture of Oriental life. Amid the noisy crowds are seen the most widely divergent types, from the pale yellow Moorish aristocrat to the dark-brown Moroccans of the south and the black negroes of the Sudan. Their costumes also are very various. The Mohammedans wear white or coloured burnous, brown jellâbas, yellow slippers (p. [97]), and a coloured turban or red fez (tarbûsh). The Jews wear either European garb or the regulation black kaftan and fez. Most of the streets are impracticable for vehicles. The commonest beast of burden is the donkey; the frequent shout of ‘bâlek’ (take care) warns foot-passengers to make room. The busiest places are the quay, whence cattle from the interior are shipped for Gibraltar and Ceuta, and in the morning the three markets.
Although already a Phœnician settlement, Tingis (p. [101]) first appears in history in the Roman period, when it vied with Oppidum Novum (Ksar el-Kebîr) and Volubilis as one of the chief places in this region. Augustus conferred on its inhabitants the right of citizenship, and Claudius made the town a Roman colony. It is unknown when Tangier was founded, but in the middle ages it fell behind the thriving seaports of Ceuta, Ksar es-Serîr (p. [123]), and Arzila. According to Moorish tradition it was founded by Mulaï Abd es-Slam Buarakia, the patron saint of the town. In 1471 it fell into the hands of the Portuguese, and it belonged to Spain from 1580 to 1640. In 1662 it formed part of the dowry of Catharine of Braganza, consort of prince Charles (afterwards Charles II. of England), and thus came into the possession of the English. In 1664, however, the English were signally defeated by the Moors on the ‘Jews’ River’ (pp. [101], 102), and in 1684 evacuated the town, after demolishing the fortifications and the pier. Since then the town has belonged to Morocco. The present fortifications, constructed by English engineers, are mounted with antiquated guns, and the town-walls date partly from the Portuguese period.
From the Muelle Nuevo (Pl. E, 1; new pier, 1907; adm. 25 c.), we walk past the new harbour for lighters and the granary (Almacen), and then to the S.W. through the harbour-gate (Bâb el-Marsâ) into the Main Street (Pl. D, C, 2, 3), which ascends the hill-side in a curve to the Outer Market. Passing the Great Mosque or Jâma el-Kebîr (Pl. D, 2), with its pretty gateway and lofty minaret inlaid with tiles, we reach the Inner Market (Sok ed-Dáyel; Pl. D, 2; Arabic Sûk ed-Dakhl), the centre of traffic, with the European post-offices (p. [98]). Higher up, where the street takes the name of Siiaguin, are situated on the left the Spanish Catholic Church (Iglesia Español; Pl. C, 3) and the Morocco Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the end of the street is the upper gate of the inner town (Bâb ed-Dakhl), leading into Los Herradores (Farriers’ Square; Pl. 8, C, 3), to the left of which, and also connected with the Outer Market by a gateway, lies the Meat and Vegetable Market (Plaza de Abastos; Pl. C, 3). From the Farriers’ Square a second gate on the right leads to the Mercado (Pl. C, 2, 3), an intermediate market-place, with rows of booths and a caravanserai (Fondak). Passing through the N. gate (Bâb el-Marshan; Pl. C, 3) and skirting the town-walls and the Christian Cemetery (Pl. B, 2), we reach, on the left, the Paseo de Cenarro (Pl. B, A, 2), the new Marshan road, and (straight on) the Kasba and the old Marshan route (see p. [101]).
The Fez Gate (Bâb el-Fahs; Pl. C, 3) leads into the Outer Market (Sûk el-Barra; Pl. B, C, 3), which deserves a visit on market-days (Thursdays and particularly Sundays). In this great and very uneven plot of ground, adorned with the shrine of Sidi Makhfî (Meyfi), the patron-saint of the market, we witness a strange and indescribable scene. Between the rows of salesmen and saleswomen, the latter veiled and clad in white, moves a motley throng of bargaining and jostling customers, while smaller groups gather round the jugglers, story-tellers, and snake-charmers (members of the sect of the Aïssaouas; p. [373]).
On the N. side of the Outer Market the Monte Road (Camino del Monte; Pl. B, A, 3; p. [101]) leads to the W., past two Mohammedan Cemeteries (Cementerio de los Moros; Pl. B, A, 2–4) and the Portuguese Legation (Pl. A, 3), to the (¼ hr.) Villa Sicsu (comp. Map), with its pretty garden (gate-keeper ½–1 p.).
From the gate of this villa a by-road ascends in a curve to the right to the Marshan (El Marxán; 341 ft.), a plateau to the N.W. of the town. At the W. end of it, above the Bubana Valley (see below), lie an estate of the Sherif of Wazzân (Xerif de Uazán) and a Mohammedan Cemetery. Farther to the E., beyond the Austrian Legation, we come to a number of square Phœnician Rock Tombs, now partly used as cisterns, situated on the steep margin of the coast, which is undermined by the sea.
The walled Kasba (Pl. B, C, 1), on the E. slope of the Marshan, is the highest and the most curious quarter of the town. Entering it by the upper gate (Bâb ed-Doulah or Bâb el-Marshan; Pl. B, 1), we first come to the barracks and the Naham Battery (Pl. B, 1), where we have a splendid view of the Straits of Gibraltar. Opposite us is the Rauda, or burial-chapel of the patron saint of the town (p. [100]). A little below is seen the Sultan’s Palace (Pl. B, C, 1), a good example of late-Moorish architecture, with a fine colonnaded court, a mosque, and a garden. The square at the lower end of the Kasba is bordered by the Tesoro (Pl. 10; treasury), the Mexuar (Pl. 9; law-courts), at the entrance to which the cadi administers justice from 8 to 11 in the morning, and the State Prison (Cárcel; visitors admitted), where male prisoners are employed in basket-making and other work. Near this is a smaller prison for women.