by Nick Nutter

Created on: July 06, 2008   Last Updated: July 07, 2008

Tetouan, Morocco A Unique Experience

Just one hours drive south of Ceuta, or 45 minutes if you hire a grand taxi, is the old capital of the Spanish Protectorate Zone, Tetouan. As you approach the city you will see that it is set amidst orange groves on a ridge of rock that leads back to the foothills of the Rif mountains that loom up to the south and west. The sea is not far off on your left hand. Due to its strategic position Tetouan has a colourful history dating back to the 3rd century BC.

It has been, at different times, a Neolithic town, a Roman town sacked in 42 AD, a Muslim city, a refuge for Barbary pirates, a ruin, a haven for Andalucian Muslim and Jewish refugees in the 15th century, a part of the French Sphere of Influence' in 1904, the capital of the Spanish Protectorate Zone in 1912, the scene of Franco's famous proclamation of uprising' against the Spanish Republican Government in 1936 that marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, nominally independent in 1956 and finally most recently, a university town. It is no wonder that sat at the Caf Paris in the Place Moulay el Mehdi enjoying a caf au lait, you are struck by the mix of cultures on display.

The Caf Paris is most definitely French, as are most of the buildings surrounding the cafe. The people being disgorged from taxis nearby however are assuredly Moroccan from the Rif mountains and surrounding villages, many of them wearing traditional dress on their way to the Medina with hand crafted goods that are packed into the boot. Alongside and mixed in with these affluent merchants are those with donkeys and camels piled high with goodness knows what and hand carts, many heaped with fish from the nearby ports of Martil and Mdiq. Behind and above the Place Moulay el Mehdi is the Kasbah, recognisably Moorish, whilst to the east is the Boulevard Mohammed V that leads you to Place Hassan II overlooking which is the very Spanish Royal Palace.

The Caf Paris will soon become a second home. It is here that the official guides gather, which is useful to know, especially if it is a Saturday or Sunday when the tourist information office is closed. Here you will also obtain a taxi if you need one and it seems that if you agree to meet anybody it will always be at the Caf Paris. For a trip to the Medina an official guide is definitely recommended. The touts are some of the most persistent in Morocco and the Medina, though small in area, is a rabbit warren of narrow dark alleys. Kif (hashish) from the Rif

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