The Kasbah of Tangier

The kasbah occupies the hilltop corner of the old town, inside its own set of walls, and it is quieter and cleaner than the medina below it. The centrepiece is Dar el Makhzen, the palace built in the early eighteenth century for the governor and later used by sultans, now a museum: rooms of painted cedar ceilings and marble courtyards holding Moroccan crafts, carpets, ceramics and archaeological finds from the region, including Roman mosaics brought in from Volubilis and the coast. The Kasbah square outside is small and shaded, the lanes around it are lined with tall old houses that have drawn foreign residents for a century, and from the terrace on the north wall you look straight across the Strait of Gibraltar to the Spanish coast, which on a clear day is close enough to make out buildings.

History

The palace was built in the early 18th century, under Sultan Moulay Ismail, over the ruins of the English "Upper Castle", as the residence of the city's governor, and sultans stayed here on visits, Hassan I among them in 1889. The scholar Édouard Michaux-Bellaire began turning it into a museum in 1922, and after renovation it reopened in 2016 (Wikipedia, Kasbah Palace, Tangier).

What you'll find

• Dar el Makhzen - the old palace, now a museum of crafts and antiquities.
• The painted ceilings - carved and painted cedar in the palace reception rooms.
• The north terrace - the wall walk looking across the strait to Spain.
• The kasbah lanes - narrow streets of tall whitewashed houses inside the walls.

When to go

Spring and early autumn, when the strait is often clear and the town is not full. Late afternoon gives the best light on the terrace and the clearest view across the water. The museum closes one day a week and shortens hours in low season, so check before climbing up.

Before you go

The climb through the medina is steep and you will be offered guiding services repeatedly on the way. Museum labelling is patchy and mostly in French and Arabic. Haze over the strait is common and can hide the Spanish coast entirely for days. The kasbah is small and, once the museum is done, an hour of lanes is about all there is.

Nearby

The Tangier medina, the Petit Socco and the American Legation museum are all downhill from the gate.

Key facts