A long time ago in Tangier

The pink Bedford truck that took 6 months to take us through Africa
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An edited version of the article published in the Weekend Argus on 15/16 July

Some years ago I spent six months travelling through Africa in a bright pink Bedford truck, at a time when South Africans couldn’t do this. Travel through Africa has its frustrations what with corruption, particularly at borders, the threat of Malaria, Giardia and a host of other exotic lesser known bugs and parasites. I could write volumes about the countries I visited, the experiences, the very African-ness, but now I want to tell you about a place that is very un-African. Tangier is the most western extremity of the Muslim and Arab world. The place is overwhelming at every turn in the overcrowded, narrow, scent-filled lanes. No wonder it’s said to be the place of sex, drugs and rock-and-roll as it certainly shocks all of the senses with its strange smells, colourful images and variety of the exotic.

Mōre is nog ‘n dag of Africa

A typical scene is the Moroccan mosque and a man in jelaba and turban
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Crossing the Straits of Gibraltar after travelling through France and Spain, the laid back feel of Morocco is sublime, mōre is nog ‘n dag. In days gone by, Tangier has seen it all - money launderers, drug dealers, gunrunners, pimps and prostitutes, smugglers, currency opportunists, and yet the town prospered. Due to the hectic hassles from a barrage of multilingual guides, souvenir sellers and touts, we were tempted to dash through, but we soon found Tangier to be a unique, likeable, lively place with a special character.

To the north of the city and climbing a hill, is a labyrinthine, medieval, seething medina and the commercial backbone of the city, juxtaposed against the shrill cry of a cell phone or internet cafe sign. This is the place where patience and time are the most important requirements. Interesting architecture of a hotchpotch of buildings and randomly erected lean-too’s wherever space allows.

It didn’t take long before we were caught up in the age-old mint tea ceremony, a pleasant experience once or twice but it can become frustrating when there is shopping to be done. The mint-tea ceremony bears all the hallmarks of Arabic hospitality and tradition with jellaba-clad men enticing us into shops to sit on luxurious silky-soft carpets and submerged in a cloud of incense. Poured from a height into tiny glasses, to make it frothy, with lots of sugar cubes, at first it tastes far too sweet but it soon becomes addictive.

There are abundant crafts with carpet making being the most important and mainly done by women, but selling them is men’s business, however it’s the middlemen who take most of the profit.

The main square is Place 9 Avril 1947, also known as Grand Socco, linking the medina to the ville nouvelle(new town) surrounded by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim cemeteries. We soon found that the best time to visit the new part of Tangier is in the evening, with the Spanish custom of promenade, where local people walk along Place de France and Boulevard Pasteur, occasionally popping into a café or patisserie.

The medina is the historical heart of Tangier, the soul is the kasbah, a tall octagonal minaret clad in coloured tiles dominating the Place de la Kasbah, where the sultan once held public auditions. To one side of the square and creeping up a wall is an old fig tree, said to be the place where Samuel Pepys wrote about Tangier in his diary in the 17^th C. The square is a lively place filled with musicians, shoeshine men, souvenir-sellers and local women wearing wide brimmed straw hats and wrapped in colourful striped shawls selling fruit and fowl, under the minaret of Mosque Sidi Bou Abib.

Wandering down narrow lanes, we soon came to Petit Socco, once the pulsing heart of Tangier and famed as a pick-up place of young boys, although some of the crummy hotels surrounding the square still double as brothels.

At the highest point of the city is the place we were aiming for, the kasbah (fort) behind sturdy walls and gates. The former sultan’s palace was built in the 17^thC is now the museum of crafts and antiquities, built around a central courtyard with white marble columns and elaborate plasterwork, woodcarving and tile work. Adjacent to the palace is the Andalusian Gardens, emanating with strong fragrant herbs and shrubs.

We followed a ramp from the square to enjoy breathtaking views of the main port and ferry terminal and with the day being so clear, we could vaguely make out the Spanish coast. The walkway follows a ramp leading to the imperial fort of Borjen Naam.

Morocco has a wealth of experiences to offer, including rich architectural tradition and cultural history, Roman ruins, medieval cities, Berber kasbahs and Islamic monuments, coastline broken by fortified cities to the vast Saharan emptiness as well as daunting mountain ranges to conquer. Take a bath in a traditional hamam, bathhouse and enjoy delicious traditional Moroccan cuisine. Eating is a celebration here and one of the best ways for Moroccans to celebrate their cultural tradition.

Now we were on our way south, to Fes and Mekness, followed by the Sahara Desert.