ARRIVAL. The steamers (see below) anchor in the open roads, and
passengers are conveyed to the pier in small boats. The German
companies furnish landing-tickets (1 _s._ for landing or embarking),
otherwise the tariff is 1 peseta (from the larger steamers 1¼ p.) each
person; trunk ½, hand-luggage ¼ p. When the sea is rough a blue flag
is hoisted on the pier and fares are doubled; in stormy weather
(yellow flag) a bargain must be made, provided landing be at all
possible. It is advisable to stipulate for the landing of luggage and
its transport to the hotel for an inclusive sum (¾–1 p.) and to
disregard the noisy importunities of the boatmen and porters. If need
be, the help of the hotel-agents may be invoked. The traveller should
be on his guard against pilfering also. Guides, who represent
themselves as agents for the hotels, also proffer their services, even
during the crossing from Gibraltar, but their attendance generally
makes everything dearer. Besides the fares mentioned, pier-dues are
levied (25 c.; for each package 5 c.).—The custom-house examination at
the town-gate is lenient. A passport is unnecessary.
=Hotels.= HÔT. CONTINENTAL (Pl. a; D, 1), in a quiet site, not far
from the pier, with a fine sea-view, patronized by Americans, pens.
from 10_s._; *HÔT. CECIL (Pl. b; E, 4, 5), on the Playa Grande, with a
terrace and sea-view, pens. 10–12_s._; *HOT. VILLA VALENTINA (Pl. c;
C, 5), on the Fez road, pens. 8–10_s._, 8 min. from the Outer Market;
HÔT. VILLA DE FRANCE (Pl. d; B, 4), on a height behind the Outer
Market, with fine view, 12 min. from the quay, an old-established
French house, pens. from 10_s._—HÔT. BRISTOL (Pl. e; D, 2), in the
Inner Market (p. 100), pens. 8–10_s._, good; HÔT. CAVILLA, pens. 8–10
p., well spoken of, and HÔT. MACLEAN, pens. 6–8 p., both in the Outer
Market; HÔT. ORIENTAL (Pl. f; D, 2), pens. from 8½ fr., near the Great
Mosque.—Wine is usually an extra.
=Cafés.= _Café-Restaurant Central_, Inner Market, déj. 2½, D. 3 p.;
_Lion d’Or_ and _Café du Commerce_ near the French post-office. The
_Arab Cafés_, mostly conducted by the guides, are a kind of Moorish
cafés-chantants (cup of ‘Arab coffee’ in the evening 1 p.).
=Post Offices.= _British_, _German_, and _Spanish_ (Pl. 3, 1, 2; D,
2), all in the Inner Market; _French_ (Pl. 4; D, 2, 3), behind the
Great Mosque. Postage on letters to Great Britain, France, Germany, or
Spain 10 c., if posted at the respective office, otherwise 25 c.;
post-cards 10 c.—BRITISH TELEGRAPH (Pl. 6; B, 2), on the old road from
the outer market to the Marshan; _French_, to Oran, at the French
post-office; _Spanish_ (Pl. 5; D, 3), not far from the inner market.
=Steamers.= _Royal Mail Steam Packet Co._ (E. Chappory), from London
fortnightly for Tangier, Mogador, the Canaries, and Madeira (RR. 14,
4, 3); _Bland Line_ (M. Pariente), for Gibraltar (R. 6 b), Tetuán (R.
13), and Larash (R. 14); _N. Paguet & Co._, for Marseilles, and for
Rabât and Mogador (R. 14); _Trasatlántica_ (Ortenbach), Canary Line to
Casablanca, Mazagan, etc. (R. 14); _Vapores Correos de Africa_ (Romany
y Miquel), for Cadiz and Algeciras (R. 6 b), Ceuta (R. 13), Larash,
Rabât, etc. (R. 14); _Navigation Mixte_ (_C. Touache_; R. Buzenet),
for Melilla, Málaga, and Oran (R. 18); _Oldenburg-Portuguese_
(Renschhausen & Co.), for Mogador, etc. (R. 14); _Rotterdam Lloyd_
(Lalaurie & de Testa), from Southampton fortnightly for Lisbon,
Tangier, Marseilles, etc.; _Nederland Royal Mail_, from Southampton
fortnightly for Tangier, Algiers, etc.; _German East African Line_
(Jahn & Toledano), from Southampton every three weeks for Tangier,
Marseilles, etc.; also excursion-steamers of the _Peninsular &
Oriental Co._, etc. (see p. 2).
[Illustration: KASBA]
[Illustration: TÁNGER]
=Physicians.= _Dr. Wilson_ (English); _Dr. Herzen_, Casa Dahl; _Dr.
Steiner_, Hôt. Villa de France.—CHEMISTS. _British Pharmacy_; _Bouich
& Ibbanez_; _Bouchard_, _Céreze_, both in the main street.—BRITISH
HOSPITAL on the Marshan (comp. Map).
=Banks.= _M. Pariente_ (English); _Banque d’Etat du Maroc_ (Pl. 12; D,
2), Inner Market; _Comp. Algérienne_, main street; _German Orient
Bank_ (Pl. 11; D, 2), near the Great Mosque; _Jahn & Toledano_;
_Renschhausen & Co._, on the shore.
=Shops.= For Oriental goods (comp. p. 331): _Jos. Saadeh_, opposite
the Spanish church (p. 100); _Bensaken_; _Mimon Delmar_ (‘Moorish
Bazaar’).—PHOTOGRAPHS sold by _Ruedi_ (a Swiss); _Cavilla_, next door
to the British Consulate.
=Newspapers.= _El Moghreb el-Akhza_, English; _La Dépêche Marocaine_,
_El Porvenir_, _El Eco Mauritano_, etc.
=Horses=, mules, and donkeys (‘borricos’) at _Benmergui’s_,
coast-road, and _Pedro’s_, Outer Market, near the German Embassy.
Donkey, with attendant, per ride ½–1 p., per day 1½–2½ p.; mule, ½ day
2–3, day 3–5 p.; horse a little more (comp. p. 97).
=Sea Baths.= _Delicias de la Playa_ and _Paraíso de la Playa_ on the
Playa Grande (Pl. E, 3, 4), with fine beach, from May to Oct.; bath
25, with towels, etc. 50 c.
=Legations and Consulates.= GREAT BRITAIN. Minister, _Hon. Reginald
Lister_ (office, Pl. A, B, 4). Consul-General, _H. E. White_ (office,
Pl. D, 2); vice-consul, _E. Bristow_.—UNITED STATES. Minister, _W.
Carpenter_ (office, Pl. D, 3). Acting Consul-General, _G. E.
Holt_.—=Lloyd’s Agent=, _Eugene Chappory_, in the main street.
=English Church Service=, in the church in the Outer Market (Pl. B,
3), every Sun. (from Dec. till end of April) at 8 and 11 a.m., and at
3 p.m.—_Spanish Catholic_, at the church in the main street (p. 100).
=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.
From the _Bâb el-Assa_, the lower Kasba gate (Pl. C, 1), a steep
footpath, which soon offers a striking *View of the white houses of
Tangier and of the beach, descends to the town.
EXCURSIONS. We may walk or ride to the S.E., past the _Sea Baths_ (p.
99), along the beach, which forms an excellent riding-course at low
tide, to the (¾–1 hr.) _Roman Bridge_ across the brook _Galeres_ (Wâd
el-Mogoga), and thence a little inland over the sand-hills (100 ft.)
to the =Ruins of Tingis= (Arabic _Tanja el-Bâlia_), where the Roman
seaward gateway is still well preserved. The road then makes a long
bend to the N. to the _Torre Blanquilla_ (243 ft.), an old Moorish
battery on _Cape Malabata_ (p. 6), 2½–3½ hrs. from Tangier.—Another
pleasant ride may be taken from the shore to the S.W., inland, through
orange-groves to (1¼ hr.) the village of _Es-Suani_, where we strike
the _Fez Road_ (p. 102), by which we may return to the Outer Market.
The *Excursion to Cape Spartel, 7½ M. to the W. of Tangier, takes
nearly a day (horses, etc., see p. 99; bargain advisable; provisions
should be taken). From the Villa Sicsu (see above) we descend the
Monte road to the _Bubana Valley_, watered by the little _Wâd el-Ihûd_
(‘Jews’ River’), ¾ hr. to the W. of Tangier. From the bridge we may go
straight on, and mount direct to the top of the _Jebel Kebîr_ (1070
ft.), which is overgrown with low underwood, or (more attractive) we
may follow the Monte road to _Monte Washington_, a colony of charming
villas immediately overlooking the sea, and then, ¾ hr. farther on,
rejoin the direct route. On both routes we enjoy a splendid view of
the sea and the Spanish coast with Cape Trafalgar (p. 58). The main
road at length descends to the W. margin of =Cape Spartel= (Arabic
_Râs Ishberdil_), the ancient _Promontorium Ampelusia_, the
north-westmost point of Africa. The lighthouse (312 ft.), built and
maintained by the European great powers, at present the only one on
the coast of Morocco (others are projected at Melilla, Casablanca,
Mazagan, Saffi, and Mogador), is visible at sea from a distance of
about 30 M. Near it are a signal-station and a meteorological station
belonging to the nautical observatory of Hamburg.
From the cape we may ride along the coast to the (2½ M.) _Hercules
Grotto_, where excellent grindstones and millstones have been quarried
from time immemorial, or, in returning to Tangier, we may diverge from
the Bubana Valley to visit the _Olive Groves_, between the Jews’ River
and the Fez road (see below).