Marshan

The Marshan Quarter is located within the historic city of Tangier. It borders the Medina district at the back of the Alcazaba and is one of the best locations if you want to enjoy spectacular views over the Strait of Gibraltar. So get ready to immortalize with your camera this colorful area of Tangier, because there are many places that you should not miss under any circumstances and that will give you clues about the years of splendor that this city had while it maintained the status of “international”.

You only have to escape a few meters from the Medina district, to reach the Marshan, a territory where you will find places and monuments as unique as the Royal Palace, where the Moroccan monarch makes his receptions when he is in Tangier, next to the Marshan gardens, which seem to head towards the sea; the soccer stadium, the mythical and literary Café Hafa, the Phoenician necropolis, the former Pasteur Institute, the Menebhí Palace, the Italian Consulate, the Al Kortobí Hospital or the Chorfas de Quezzane Palace.

If you have decided to get to know Tangier in depth, you should definitely go to this neighborhood to get the most out of this historical area of the “white city”. Remember that, due to its moderate climate, you can enjoy Tangier at any time of the year and stroll through this Moroccan city of more than one million inhabitants that evokes among its streets stories of sultans and that, according to Paul Morand, “is the most European city in Africa and the most African in Europe”.

One of the most touristic places in this Tangier neighborhood is the iconic Café Hafa, which has just turned 100 years old. Opened in 1921, it is one of the destinations you can not miss on your visit to the city, because here you can perceive the mark left by such illustrious customers as the Rolling Stones, Paul Bowles, Bernard-Henry Lévy or Juan Goytisolo. It consists of several terraces that overlook the Mediterranean and have as a backdrop the Punta de Europa. It is a simple establishment, with white and indigo walls, tiled tables and painted clay pots. In its vicinity there are even Phoenician tombs, excavated in the rock, overlooking the sea. In short, and although it is no longer what it was, the Café Hafa is still a symbol of the most bohemian and literary Tangier from which, on sunny days, the Spanish coast can be seen.

Another attractive place in Tangier’s Marshan district is the Forbes Museum of military miniatures, founded by the famous American publisher and owner of “Forbes” magazine. It is a collection of 115,000 tin soldiers, recreating the main battles of history, from Waterloo to the Three Kings.

In short, Marshan is a historic district of Tangier that must be visited because it is full of life and animation and offers views that are almost postcards of the Mediterranean coast. Not to be forgotten.