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Grand Socco means main market square, and it is the best place to start a tour of the city. It joins the new section, established after 1912, with the old medina situated on a hill above the harbor. Rif women dressed in colorful traditional costume sell vegetables and fresh mint at the Grand Socco (dervied from souk = market). Thursdays and Sundays are particularly busy days.
Flanking the Grand Socco, on the north side are the luxuriant Mendoubia Gardens containing an ancient dragon tree and the former residence of the mendoub (sultan's representative), which nowadays serves as the city court. Although these are not open to the public, one might just manage to persuade the caretaker to give one a short tour. On the west side, the mosaic-studded minaret of the Sidi Bou Abid mosque towers high over the Socco. The covered market is on the east side, right outside the old city wall.
Behind the horseshoe-shaped gate of Bab Fahs is where the walled-in old part of town begins, home of hashish dealers, pickpockets and all sorts of strange characters who give the place a somewhat decadent flair. If you go through the second gate to the immediate right, you will come to Rue es Siaghin, which used to be lined with Jewish goldsmith shops. To the south of this is the former Jewish quarter (mellah). About 6,000 Jews lived here around 1900 - more than a third of the city's population in those days. The Star of David is still recognizable on the dilapidated synagogue. Since the Jewish exodus in the year of 1956, Moslems have taken over the textile and souvenir shops. The fact that the Spanish were able to erect a Catholic cathedral here in 1888 shows just how tolerant the Moslems were towards non-Moslems. On the other hand, it reveals how weak the sultan was.
The Petit Socco, known locally as souk dakhel, lies at the bottom end of the Rue es Siaghin. This is where the blackmarketeers and smugglers used to conduct business. American writer W.S. Burroughs, author of Junkie, a novel about a drug addict in North Africa, partook of more than just a cup of peppermint tea here. Even today some illegal business deals take place on the cafe terraces. This is where the Rue des Chretiens (renamed Rue des Almohades) red light district used to be. The wrought-iron balconies of the very traditional Hotels Mauretania, Becerra and Fuentes are reminiscent of Andalusian fagades. Farther east, Rue de la Marine leads directly to the jemaa kebira (Grand Mosque), constructed by Moulay Ismail to celebrate victory over the English in 1684. It was erected on the site of the former Portuguese cathedral that had been destroyed by the sultan. Directly opposite is a madrasah (Koranic school) from the Merinid period. It is, however, still off-limits to non-Moslems. There is nevertheless a very good view of the Bay of Tangier and the harbor from the terrace at the back of the mosque. |
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During this time of price volatility in the Grand Socco vacations, travel, tour and cruise industry, please be advised the pricing can fluctuate within the same day. All of our promotions are subject to change without notice. As a result, prices will not be guaranteed until booked.
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