Tangier

Mosque, University District, Tangier

Tangier (or Tanger, or Tangiers) is a vibrating, pulsing sort of place, exotic and energized. The streets are busy, but not just with cars. In the modern city, the sidewalks are teaming with folks going here and there. In the old city, scooters and the odd Tuk-tub dodge hordes of walking folk.

Old Tangier

Tangier is an ancient city, a city destroyed and rebuilt in cycles. Five centuries BCE, this was a Berber town. Then came the progression of empires and conquerors. There were the Phoenicians, then the Carthaginians, and the Romans. Rome fell and the Vandals came. These were the original Vandals, one of the 'Barbarian' tribes that swept through the tottering Roman Empire. From them we get the English phrase "to vandalize." See, history is cool, and there is lots of it here in Tangier.

Modern Tangier has a history that is just as complicated as its ancient history. The colonial invasions continued, with Portugal, Spain, and France being the major players. Tangier was an independent sultanate, and the first foreign power to recognize the fledging United States of America. This recognition came even while the founding fathers were busy fighting the British King. By the 1920's, Tangier was declared an international city, protected by agreements between European powers. The last sultan was exiled, and the city became a hot-bed of spies, plots, and intrigue. Everyone wanted a piece of Morocco, and everyone had their spooks in the city.

Old Cemetery and City Park, Tangier

We set out walkabout in this most walkable of cities. Tangier sprawls over the hills that rise from the Straits of Gibralter. Some of the walking is pretty steep. Even in modern Tangier, I do not believe a traveler can find a single ninety-degree corner. There is no grid here, no orderly city blocks. Get ready for a navigational challenge. Walk through a city park and realize that it is also a crumbling cemetery. Turn a corner at a modern apartment building and step into a neighborhood of past centuries. This is normal fare here in Tangier.

Streets quickly become markets. Across a small street from a crumbling graveyard, people are busy shopping. Fresh fruits and vege are the stars of this show, but there are other products for sale just down the hill. Cell phones, stereos, bike tires, there is always something you need in the market.

We walked a bit of modern Tangier to get the feel of it. The city is energetic and noisy. Traffic is hectic on the cramped streets, and there is a good bit of horn honking. Crossing a busy street is an excercise in trust. Like Saigon, one simply steps into the street and walks at a stately pace. No running, no erratic movements, and the flow of taxis will slow or stop to provide passage. 

The entrance to the Kasbah

To enter the Kasbah is to travel back in time. The Kasbah is ancient, a bizarre and wonderful maze. The Portuguese are reported to have built most of the fortification walls, but who did what and when is still a matter of debate. What you, dear traveler, need to know is this: You are going to get lost. Then you will get lost again. Just go with it, it is great fun. Uphill takes one to the battlements and half-crumbled walls above the harbor. Downhill takes one to the front gateway. If you run into a fortification wall, you just found the edge of the Kasbah. Think of it as a pinball game with yourself as the pinball.

Wizards abound

Kaftans are part of normal dress here, both in the Kasbah and in modern Tangier. There are all sorts of combinations, from clerical gowns to striped Berber kaftans. Some of the women who wear kaftans also were full burka face veils. My favorites are the brown kaftans with the extra-pointy hoods.

Walking the Kasbah

I suppose that the progression from Southern Spain to Northern Africa is good training. Starting with the narrow lanes and passageways of Sevilla, one ends up in the incredible labyrinth of the Kasbah. Not only are the paths of the Kasbah narrow, steep, and twisting, they are often covered as well. Up stairs, down stairs, ducking ones head to avoid a stone arch, it is a magical maze, a maze that people live in.

The Kasbah was featured in Jim Jarmusch's darkly wonderful film "Only Lovers Left Alive." In fact, one of the first things I saw in Tangiers was a roundabout below the Kasbah walls that was featured in a driving shot from that movie. As we explored the Kasbah more remote passageways, I looked for scenes I remembered from the movie. 

A word of preparation. You are not in Kansas anymore. Your hotel will probably be equipped with western style sit-down toilets. The rest of Tangier won't. Adapt, improvise, overcome.

Cafe Au lait, Te normal,  Kasbah

Cafe life is the heartbeat of Tangier. There are cafes everywhere, full of men sipping cafe au lait or sweet-minty tea normal. The cafes range from the size of a closet, to large glass-fronted places covering an entire corner. We found our own cafe behind the hotel, a comfy little sidewalk joint called Katrina's. Two coffees will set one back 15 Dirham in a hotel or fancy cafe. The price goes down from there. Our place was 8 dirhams for a coffee, about one US dollar. 

The ruins of Cine Alcazar, Kasbah, Tangier

We wandered Tangier until hunger snuck up on us. We were still learning the basic breakdown of Tangier eateries. There are, first and foremost, the cafes. There you will find tea, coffee, perhaps some pastry. Then there are the tiny snack places, where little plates are served for very cheap prices. The food is good, but the ambiance is somewhat lacking for a full meal. Finding the restaurants is bit more of a challenge.  

Folks in Tangier love soup and they love lemon.

We found a food place off a passageway not four feet wide. The interior was bathed in unshaded fluorescent lights. The walls, floor to ceiling, were tiled in geometric patterns of dark greens and blues. Badly faded black-and-white photos hung on the walls, photos depicting life in the Kasbah.

There was no menu. An old man recited the food choices for us, the recitation in a quiet and sonorous english. We ordered soup and mixed kabob. The food was good, accompanied by the ever-present Moroccan white bread. Lunch for two, with a good tip, came to about six US dollars.

Flolurescent Light, Tile, Kasbah

For the most part, people are very friendly here. They are also trying to get somewhere, and the quarters are tight. Walking in the Kasbah is a contact sport. You are going to touch people, and they are going to touch you. It is inevitable. A smile and a nob will work wonders. I am a foreigner, different, so people look. They are not smiling when they look at me. I smile and nod, they break into a big smile and respond. It seems to work everytime, even with the stern old men.

Sunset from our room, Tangier

Night Scene, Tangier

And I thought it was busy during the daytime. Evenings are when Tangier puts on its social face and goes out to be seen. Families promenade, couples court, old men hang out. Vendors sell paper cones of sunflower seeds. Folks sit and talk, spitting sunflower husks on the cracked paving tiles. Henna Girls set up shop in front of a cannon, waiting for customers. 

We found the nirvana of restaurant streets not three blocks from out hotel. Hidden between several big boulevards, this became our feeding ground for the next few days. But that is the stuff of the next post. 

We were walked out, happy, and tired. It was time to head back to the Hotel Chellah, our time warp from the 1960's. There are so many odd things about this hotel, I don't know where to start. The incredible vibe of "Modern Tangier, 1962!" Is so amazing, it covers a lot of the hotel's warts. The evening was done, and night was here. I wanted only a quiet cigar on the hotel terrace, which is what I had. 

From crumbling, dirty, wonderful, vibrant, noisy, and electric Tangier, it is time to say "Ciao for Now!"