Tetouan & Tangier

Leaving Chefchaouen in the morning, we had two more sightseeing stops before we left this corner of Morocco. First up was Tetouan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated in part for the long and varied history of its old city (dating to the 3rd century BC), and also for its preservation of traditional arts and crafts.

After a walk around the walled city of Tetouan, taking in the various architectural influences from the Jewish, Spanish, French and Arabic residents over time, we were able to visit the School of Arts and Crafts. The school opened in 1916, and was established for the conservation and passing on of Arab-Andalusian national heritage. Young people of approximately middle school age were working at a wide range of crafts, from embroidery to woodworking, metalworking, ceramics and more.

We then drove on to Tangier, which at one time, until Moroccan independence from the French in the 1950s, was considered an international zone, governed by a committee of 11 different countries. Our tour in Tangier took us to the site of the king’s summer residence, and around the old marketplace, where we saw lots of finished examples of the handicrafts we’d seen at the school in Tétouan.Read more