The city between two continents — where Europe ends and Africa begins, the old medina sheltered Beat Generation writers for a decade, and the Strait of Gibraltar is close enough to swim
Tangier is a city of 1 million at the northern tip of Morocco where the Strait of Gibraltar narrows to just 14km between Africa and Europe, and the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea. It is Morocco's most international and historically complex city — a Phoenician port, a Roman provincial capital, a Portuguese stronghold, a British colony, an independent Spanish-administered territory, and finally an 'International Zone' (1923–1956) governed jointly by eight foreign powers. The medina's Grand Socco (Suk el Barra) and small winding alleys (the kasbah above the old port) preserve the lay…
Tangier is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the western Mediterranean — a Phoenician trading post from around 1100 BCE, then a Carthaginian and Roman city (Tingis, capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana, granted Roman citizenship by Emperor Claudius in 44 CE). The city passed through Vandal, Byzantine, Berber, Arab, Portuguese (1471–1661), and British (1661–1684) control before Morocco regained it. The 20th century's most remarkable chapter came during the Tangier International Zone (1923–1956): the city was administered by a committee of nine countries (Franc…