Medina

The medina is the top attraction of Tangier, a labyrinth of alleyways both commercial and residential, contained by the walls of a 15th-century Portuguese fortress. Clean and well lit, as medinas go, the place is full of traveller’s treasures, from fleeting glimpses of ancient ways of living, to the more material rewards of the souqs. The thing to do is to get lost and wander for a few hours, although there are a few sites you don’t want to miss. Get as close to your destination as possible, then ask if you run into problems. Young people will be happy to take you anywhere (for a few dirhams).

From the Grand Socco, enter the medina opposite the Mendoubia Gardens, on Rue as-Siaghin, and follow the road downhill until it widens at Café Central,on the left. This is the Petit Socco once the most notorious crossroads of Tangier, the site of drug deals and all forms of prostitution. Today the facades are freshly painted, tourists abound and it’s a wonderful square for people-watching while you drink your mint tea.

From the Petit Socco, Rue Jemaa el-Kebir (formerly Rue de la Marine) leads east past the Grande Mosquée , which at one time housed a Portuguese church. A little further on you reach a scenic lookout over the port.

Now to avoid getting lost, head out of the medina a moment, and circle down to its southernmost corner, where you will re- enter via the steps to Rue D’Amerique/Zankat America. A dog-leg brings you to a door in a covered passageway on your left. Here you will find another great local oddity, and must-visit, the Tangier American Legation Museum . Morocco was one of the first countries to recognise the fledgling United States, and this was the first piece of American real estate abroad (look for the letter of thanks from George Washington to Sultan Moulay Suleyman). It is also the only US National Historic Landmark on foreign soil. The elegant five-storey mansion holds an impressive display of paintings that give a view of the Tangerine past through the eyes of its artists, most notably the Scotsman James McBey, whose hypnotic painting of his servant girl, Zohra, has been called the Moroccan Mona Lisa. The new director of the Legation, Gerald Loftus, has introduced a well-stocked bookshop and a wing dedicated to Paul Bowles. The romantic map room upstairs contains walls lined with ancient parchments and diplomatic mementoes, including a hilarious letter from the US consul recounting his gift of a lion from the sultan in 1839. It is at this point you realise that you have entered the plot of an exotic historical novel.

Just off the Petit Socco is the Musée de la Fondation Lorin , which is another eclectic stop. Here in this former synagogue, you will find an open two-storey room with an engaging collection of black-and-white photographs of 19th- and 20th-century Tangier on the walls. Meanwhile there is likely a children’s theatre going on in the centre, as the museum doubles as a workshop for disadvantaged kids, bringing life to the static display.

Now continue along Rue Touahine to Rue as-Siaghin, and exit the medina from where you started. Follow the perimeter all the way to the western end, to the highest part of the city, enter the Porte de la Kasbah, and follow the road to the Kasbah Museum . The museum is perfectly sited in Dar el-Makhzen, the former sultan’s palace (where Portuguese and British governors also lived) and has recently been completely renovated. The new focus is on the history of the area from prehistoric times to the 19th century, most of it presented in seven rooms around a central courtyard. Placards are in French and Arabic. Some highlights are pre-Roman tools; a sculpture with scenes of a bacchanalian feast; some 16th-century jewellery; an extraordinary floor mosaic from Volubilis; and a fascinating wall map of trade routes past and present. Before you leave, don’t miss the exotic Sultan’s Garden off the main courtyard, opposite the entrance, which was being restored at the time of research.