()), also spelled '''Tetuan''' or sometimes '''Tettawan''', is the capital and cultural centre of the region Tanja (
Tangier ) in the north of
Morocco , the only open port of Morocco on the
Mediterranean Sea , a few miles South of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about 40 m. E.S.E. of
Tangier . In
2004 the city had 320,539 inhabitants (census figure), up from about 25.000, of whom a fifth were Jews, in the early 20th century.
Arabic is the official language, though the use of
Spanish and
French is still widespread. Its main religion is
Islam but there are minorities of
Jews and
Christians .
The city is situated about 60 km east of the city of
Tangier and 40 km south of the Spanish enclave of
Ceuta (Sebta) and the
Strait Of Gibraltar . It is in the far north of the
Rif Mountains . To the south and west of the city there are mountains. Tetuan is situated in the middle of a belt of
Orchards that contain
Orange ,
Almond ,
Pomegranate and
Cypress trees. The
Rif Mountains are nearby, as the city is located in the
Martil Valley . It is picturesquely situated on the northern slope of a fertile valley down which flows the W. Martil, with the harbour of Tetuan, Martil, at its mouth. Behind rise rugged masses of rock, the southern wall of the
Anjera country, once practically closed to Europeans, and across the valley are the hills which form the northern limit of the still more impenetrable Rif. In point of cleanliness Tetuan compares favorably with most Moorish towns. The streets are fairly wide and straight, and several of the houses belonging to aristocratic Moors, descendants of
Those Expelled From Spain , have fine
Courts Surrounded By Arcades , some with marble fountains and planted with orange trees. Within the houses the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in
Mauresque designs, such as are found in the
Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and
Dado s. The traditional industries are tilework,
Inlaying with silver wire, and the manufacture of
Thick-soled Yellow Slippers , much-esteemed flintlocks, and artistic towels used as cape and skirt by Moorish country girls. The Jews lived in a ''
Mellah '', separated from the rest of the town by gates which were closed at night. The harbour of Tetuan was obstructed by a bar, over which only small vessels can pass, and the roadstead, sheltered to the North, N.W. and South, is exposed to the East, and is at times unsafe in consequence of the strong Levanter.
The city was founded in the
3rd Century BC . Artefacts from both the
Roman and the
Phoenician era have been found.
Around
1305 a city was built here by the
Marinid king
Abu Thabit . It served as a base for attacks on Ceuta. Around
1400 it was destroyed by the
Castilians , because pirates used it for their attacks. By the end of the
15th Century it was rebuilt by refugees from the
Reconquista (reconquest of Spain, completed by he tfall of Granada in
1492 ), when the Andalusian Moors first reared the walls and then filled the enclosure with houses. It had a reputation for piracy at various times in its history. It was taken on the 4th of February 1860 by the Spaniards under
O'Donnell , and almost transformed by them into a European city before its evacuation on 2 May 1862, but so hateful were the changes to the Moors that they completely destroyed all vestiges of alteration and reduced the city to its former state.
The city is situated in
The Area Of Morocco Which Was Formerly Ruled By Spain . In
1913 it became the capital of the part of Morocco under Spanish protectorate which was governed by the
Jalifa (Spanish for ''Khalifa'', a ''mulay'', i.e. Moroccan prince, serving as Viceroy for the Sultan, and the Spanish
Alto Comisario accredited to him), and it remained its capital until
1956 .
Many people in the city still speak
Spanish . On road signs often names are written both in Spanish and in
Arabic , though many signs are in Arabic and
French , the second language of modern Morocco. Tétouan became part of the independent state of Morocco when it was founded out of
French Morocco and most of Spanish Morocco in
1956 .
Tétouan has also been home of an important
Jew ish community, which
Immigrated From Spain after the
Reconquista and the
Spanish Inquisition . The Jewish community spoke
Ladino . Some of them emigrated later to
Oran ,
South America and much later to
Israel ,
France and
Canada . There are very few
Jew s left in Tétouan nowadays.
- Medina
- ---The medina (old town) of Tétouan is on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO . The inner city is very characteristic and traditional. One can find many white houses here, only low houses. Everywhere in the city there are people performing their craftsmanship, like weavers, jewellers, leather workers. They often try to sell carpets to tourists as well. Also, one sees a lot of animals on the streets of the medina.
- The royal palace in Tétouan is situated just outside and by one of the entrances to the medina. There is a public square in front of it.
