Tangier Morocco Desert Tours - Day Trip From Tangier to Chefchaouen

Once a glittering and debauched destination for the 1960s literary and artistic set, Tangier holds an evocative tinge of this racy past, even though it may no longer be the haunt of famed authors and painters. The medina area is the major point of interest and place to try and catch some of this atmosphere. The winding lanes here are the city’s prime tourist attraction.

Outside of Tangier, the coastline is dotted with picture-perfect seaside villages that make you want to break out your watercolor palette. Tangier is a great base for exploring this part of Morocco. Plan your trip with our list of the top attractions in Morocco.

History:

According to Greek mythology Tangier, or Tingi, was founded by the giant Antaeus. Tingi is mentioned by Carthaginian travelers as early as 500 BC and Phoenician sailors visited even earlier. After the destruction of Carthage, Tingi was affiliated with the Berber kingdom of Mauretania.

It then became an autonomous state under Roman protection, eventually becoming a Roman colony in the 3rd century AD during the reign of Diocletian, and ending as the capital of Mauretania Tingitana. In the fifth century, Vandals conquered and occupied Tingi and from here swept across North Africa.

A century later, Tingi became part of the Byzantine Empire and gradually fell into obscurity until the city’s capture by Moussa bin Nasser during the first years of the eighth century. The city’s inhabitants were converted to Islam, but many Berber tribes joined the schismatic Kharijite rebellion and seized the port city in AD 739.

When Moulay Idriss I established his kingdom at Volubilis in AD 788, Tangier became a focal point in the struggle between the Idrisid dynasty and the Umayyads. This struggle continued until the Fatimid dynasty from Tunisia assumed power in AD 958. Tangier came under the successive sway of the Almoravides and Almohades, after which the city fell under the influence of the Tunisian Hafsid dynasty before passing into the hands of the Merenids.

By the 14th century, Tangier became a major Mediterranean port frequented by European trading vessels bringing cloth, spices, metals, and hunting birds in exchange for leather, wool, carpets, cereals, and sugar.

After an unsuccessful attempt to seize Tangier in 1437, the Portuguese finally conquered and occupied the city in 1471, converting the great mosque into a cathedral. For nearly three centuries, the town was passed back and forth between the Spanish, Portuguese, and finally, the English, when it was given to Charles II as part of the dowry from Catherine of Braganza.

The English granted Tangier a charter, which made the city equal to English towns. In 1679, Moulay Ismail made an unsuccessful attempt to seize the town but maintained a crippling blockade, which ultimately led to a British retreat. Under Moulay Ismail, the city was reconstructed to some extent but gradually declined until, by 1810, the population was no more than 5,000. Tangier began to revive in the mid-19th century when European colonial governments fought for influence over Morocco.