Tangier: A Visual Feast
December 27th, 2020
Today we begin our virtual visit to Morocco with a post I wrote in 2018. We visited the northern part of the country in May of 2017, after spending time in Portugal and Spain. Viewing these photos again now lights the fire within me. Morocco has such depth and beauty, from the medinas to the countryside. This is a country I’ll always jump at the chance to return to.
Welcome to Tangier!
Kelly
Post of the Day: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together. This series features travel photos from my archives, shared with you while staying close to home.
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After two weeks in Portugal and Spain, the exotic allure of Morocco has my full attention. It’s been ten years since my last visit to the country but Morocco’s gypsy ambiance never lost its grip on my heart.
We park the rental car at a long-term garage in Algeciras — nearly getting scammed in the process, but ultimately we outwit the jerk who is trying so desperately to usher us into a particular parking space. Basta! He runs off, pretending he’s calling the cops. The car is stored and we’re on our way to Tangier, the first stop on our week-long jaunt through northern Morocco.
As we ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar I wonder at the ocean water — apatite blue and as calm as Lake Tahoe. We begin to see the shore of Tangier stretching along our view to the east in a thin, bright line. The light seems magnified, one tiny step closer to the equator, with a palette devoid of the bright greens of the Algarve from where we’ve just come. It’s intriguing to imagine the Sahara desert not too far beyond us… an adventure for another time.
The Medina :: Tangier, Morocco
At the moment, Tangier is our adventure. The city climbs the hill in front of us like the San Francisco of Africa. Tangier is a melting pot and crossroads at the edge of the continent; a city of highs and lows as time and people have passed through it for centuries. At the moment, Tangier is revitalized and ready for the future with a huge new port, a beautiful beach promenade and all the culture a city needs to attract an international community.
Our riad is somewhere in the middle of this hillside collage. Within minutes of docking we’re in a taxi on our way around the medina.
We find our way to the kasbah and arrive at the side street where La Tangerina is high on the hill, tucked behind a grand wooden door. Typical of Moroccan architecture, La Tangerina is several stories tall with a central courtyard. Our room is a small, split-level unit overlooking the walkway out front.
Mint tea upon arrival :: Tangier, Morocco
We unpack a few things and retire to the rooftop deck where mint tea and cookies are waiting for us in a stylish assemblage which reminds me that even the smallest things in life can be done with great artistry. We feel sincerely welcomed. We toast to an exciting day, with a view of the Atlantic on one side and the medina on the other.
Our taxi driver returns at 5:00 p.m. for an hour-long walking tour of the medina. He’s a university student and earns extra money by giving tours, during which he can practice speaking English. For the next hour we wend our way through the maze of footpaths among the buildings, so tall on both sides it’s impossible to tell where we are. It feels a little like snorkeling — we come up for air and try to get our bearings each time a path emerges into an open space.
The medina is a study in textures and colors, and I find myself navigating by the most memorable of them. A yellow and blue wall with a row of plants on a doorstep is a favorite passageway.
The Hand of Fatima
The khamsa, or Hand of Fatima, hangs from more than a few doors as a protective symbol to ward off the evil eye. The khamsa is also a contemporary symbol of peace.
What I love most about Morocco is the endless embellishment of even the most mundane surfaces. Walking through the medina offers an endless display of intentional artistry. Doors and windows almost always have elegant, hand-hewn designs within the confines of plain rectangles. As I learned in Islamic geometric design class, the best designs (and most designs here, really) are made-to-measure. The starting point, ending point and placement have been carefully considered to avoid the odd cut, loose end or messy composition. Moroccan design is deliberate.
The streets outside the medina are wider and easier to navigate, running down to the port and across to the Ville Nouvelle. But old city or new city, temptation exists at every doorway. The crafts, textiles and antiquities inside the shops speak a vibrant, expressive language and the much-loved neutrals of western palettes have little presence here.
Tangier, Morocco
We step into a shop with room after room of rugs, ceramics and home accessories. Overwhelmed with patterns and choices, the salesman leads us upstairs to share something he seems to know we’ll find of more interest.
Tangier, Morocco
We emerge on the roof to another perspective of the medina. The midday sun strips the shadows from the mass of shapes on the hill and the call to prayer begins. This moment feels more valuable than any rug or accessory we might have had our eye on so we take it in and thank him for showing us.
We explore the fish market as well as the fruit and vegetable market set up along a street in the medina. The bounty of Morocco creates a variety of traditional dishes, including a sardine stew simmering in open tagines at a street-side cafe.
Berber woman at the market :: Tangier, Morocco
At every destination, the reaction to being photographed is something a photographer must explore and be aware of. In Mumbai, people loved being photographed but here in Morocco the general feeling I’ve gotten so far is total aversion. This is confirmed when I talk with a Berber woman about the cheese she’s selling at the market. She’s happy to show and sell her product but dips her hat for a photo. At the market and elsewhere, I find myself shooting almost entirely with my phone because it’s faster and less conspicuous. Even still, and for this reason, most of my photos don’t include people.
The indoor market holds even more piles, bins and boxes of Moroccan staples like lemons, olives, dates and nuts. For being so close to the Sahara desert, Tangier’s markets look surprisingly plentiful.
We stop for an afternoon coffee at the Grand Café de Paris. We choose a table along the back wall and watch the the world go by through the high windows overlooking the street. The brown leather chairs and buttoned-up waiters give an atmosphere of old elegance. No one moves too quickly — this is a place to meet and relax but an air of sophistication holds court over every customer. It feels as if anyone in the world might walk through the door.
To end our day we take a walk through the historic El-Minzah Hotel which opened in 1930. The walls are covered with photos of famous people who have come to the hotel including Rita Hayworth and Yves Cousteau.
El-Minzah Hotel :: Tangier, Morocco
The inner courtyard gives another nod to old elegance. In a quiet corner almost out of view, a bold antique sofa sits against a blue tiled wall under a framework of iron scrolls over a window. It is yet another effortless composition of pattern on pattern, color on color, that creates the singular sense of place that Morocco so clearly communicates.
Tangier, Morocco
As we end our time in Tangier I capture one more photo of my favorite discovery within the medina. Down a dusty road in an unremarkable spot, this profusion of Islamic geometric design sits in solitude with chips and cracks that show its age — wabi-sabi in Tangier. Perfect, symmetrical, made-to-measure and stunning. It is my favorite discovery of our whole trip.
It’s time to catch the train and move on from Tangier. We taxi to the station and make a run for it, reluctant to leave this charming, rustic city. It’s been so fun to explore… and only just a warm-up for the coming labyrinth that is Fez.
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There is definitely the subtle combination of colours and the fluidity of shapes that can be found with some variations in North African countries. The post reflects well your interest in such a feast for the eyes.
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I really hope to be able to explore more of northern Africa. Libya and Algeria are so intriguing but not the safest choice for Americans. Morocco will do, though! I could keep going back…
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Tunisia is rather similar to Morocco, with more reasonable distances, good roads and professional tourist services.
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YESSSSS. Thank you for pointing me to Tunisia! I love good travel tips to unfrequented (by most) places. Thank you! It seems you’ve been to the farthest reaches of the earth and so many small towns in between!
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Nice compliment but not completely deserved, there are also many places you know and where I still dream of going someday.
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So let’s keep going. Deal?
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Sure 🙂
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Thanks so much for taking me along. I’ve often talked of taking the ferry across that amazing water, but maybe the time has gone. The proximity of people in the markets is something to be fearful of now, but oh, those patterns and colours, Kelly! 🙂 🙂
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Keep the faith, Jo! Hopefully in the next year or two the world will be in a better place and you can take that ferry. It is SO worth it! Thanks for you comment!
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Thanks for the tour here!! Looks like a photographers dream – great shots 🙂
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Exactly! Such a dream. Happy to have you along for the tour. Fes is coming up soon — even more depth and character. Thanks Pam!
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👏👏👏💕
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Thank you! 🙂
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Beautiful, the colours, the patterns, those narrow lanes, the antique doors and the metal works on the windows, the colourful markets. And the delightfully presented mint tea. A visual delight, and you captured it too well !
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Thanks Deb. It’s overwhelming in such a good way. So fun to photograph! And endless paths to take!
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Every time I see a blog on Tangiers, I kick myself for never visiting. Thanks for reminding me, Kelly. The city is indeed a photographers dream. –Curt
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Go!! It IS a dream to explore and photograph. The whole region is amazing. I hope to return again someday.
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Thanks, Kelly. I told Peggy that the next time we head for Europe, I want to put it on our list! It keeps growing longer. 🙂 –Curt
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YAY! A worthy destination for sure, and it can be a quick trip from Spain — a day or a weekend, or longer of course. Easy breezy!
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🙂
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These are the photos and scenes that draw me to Morocco, and Tangier in particular (along with the feeling I could be Jason Bourne walking along the streets too). You have a great line above, “Morocco’s gypsy ambiance never lost its grip on my heart” this is the attraction I have to Morocco, a place were just about everything seems possible but also not that important as well. Cheers ~
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That rooftop view of the medina actually looks like a textile itself with all the soft colors. And the yellow and blue wall made me swoon. Almost better than the all-blue of Chefchaouen, a place you already planted in my brain a few years ago!
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Agreed! The medina view was like a patchwork quilt. And we’ll be revisiting Chefchaouen in this series, coming up in the next few days. Looking forward to going back through my photos. Thanks Lex! Hope you have a great NYE! 2020 is almost over! 🙂
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Oh this lit a fire in me too Kelly, transporting me straight back to Morocco. I was there in 1980, the year I turned 30 and fell in love with it and have longed to go back ever since. I have many memories of that visit. I didn’t go to Tangier, but I doubt I’ll ever forget the Fez Medina.
Alison
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Wow, Fez was surely even more enchanting back in 1980! What a great memory to have. My post on Fez is coming up. What a deep and layered city it is!
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