Morocco's ancient historic Tangier city revived

Inhabitants of the northern Moroccan city of Tangier’s amazing creativity has birth an exciting scenery of aesthetics that has given the ancient city a dynamic face-lift.

The city built on the slops of a chalky limestone hill, enclosed by 16th century rampant now glows with Murals, colorful facades, flowery streets that are repainted in green and purple.

Houses now display different colors and flower pots are placed at the doors and windows.

“Tangier had a special system that opened its doors to many cultures, ethnicity and religions around the world, and in the old Medina there are synagogues, Catholic churches, zaouias and mosques”, said owner of a cultural cafe in the Tangier Medina and art lover, Younes Cheik Ali.

Beyond the ecstatic,the imperial of the huge red bus that borders the historic facades, tourists discover the old Tangier, while a crowd of holidaymakers rush on the new ledge.

“It’s superb …”, said Michal Linsi Tang, a 19-year-old Chinese student, aboard the tourist bus that has been traveling since the end of July to the beloved city of so many painters and writers, at the forefront of Africa.

(“It’s very cool, I can enjoy all the views of the city here on the bus floor, it’s great”, tourist Mike Owen noted.

As sign of tourism development, a multinational transport company Alsa, manages urban buses. The company has just launched two tours for double-decker buses and has seen an increase in the number of tourists.

Farid Othman Bentria Ramos is a writer and resident in Tangier. “Tangier has a heterogeneous history, very cosmopolitan and you have to touch all that, even the mythology: that’s why we divided the course into two routes. Tangier was between two capes, the Cape of Malabata and the cape Spartel, and you have to go to both “, Ramos said.

Tangier’s fame as a destination for artists and writers from Europe and the United States during the 90’s appeared lost in recent past, the story is told differently in recent times as many writers still troop in their numbers.

“Many writers who have visited Tangier have written about the city, each in their own way, the same thing for painters, and more than 400 artists have painted paintings that can be seen today in international museums”, Ali said.

Gradually, the city is taking a pace which appears that more is yet to come.

AFP