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warda
18/06/2006 20:00
The Hassan II Square (Place Hassan II) with its fountains and flower boxes looked somewhat similar to squares I could see in Andalousia, Spain. The square was the most busy place of Tetouan with quite a lot of natives walking around even in the early morning. I think that it's a meeting point for the natives. So, it was the best place to watch natives and their traditional dresses called jellabia.
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Bab er-Rouah is the name of the main gate to the Royal Palace in the Hassan II square. It is a very huge and impressive gate like... Moroccan king, I suppose :-). No entry to the public, the gate was guarded by royal guards day and night. Later I saw many more royal palaces in various Moroccan cities and they were usually similar to this one in Tetouan.
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I found Tetouan a quite large city with a center/downtown located in a valley and suburbs on surrounding hills. It's a mixture of various architectural styles including typical North African Muslim and European - Spanish or more exactly Andalusian architecture. The variety of architecture found there reflects an interesting history of the city. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND - 3rd century B.C. - beginning of Tetouan as a settlement called Tamouda, - 42 A.D. - destroyed by Romans, - 1307 the Merinid sultan Abu Thabit constructed a kasbah (castle) - 1399 - city under power of Castilian king Henry III - from 15th century under the Andalusian influence - 1913 - the capital of Spain's protectorate - 1956 - independence of Morocco.
The medina (old arab city) seemed to be the main attraction in Tetouan, as it is quite large, busy and in full use. When I visited Tetouan in the early morning all stores were closed and the medina looked dirty, ugly, somewhat neglected and... stinking in some places. Hmm... maybe I just experienced somewhat called culture shock in Tetouan. Maybe I should re-visit Tetouan and its medina.
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The new part of the city (Ville Nouveau) looks much better than the medina, in my opinion, and surely was more clean and wasn't stinking. The main street was called like in many Moroccan cities: Mohammed V Avenue. I parked my car close to this street and I was looking for a restaurant to eat breakfast (coffee + somewhat to eat) there and I finally found it which made me happy and relaxing :-).
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Hassan II Square was the first place I saw in Tetouan. It forms the heart of the city. It is situated at the point where the old and modern parts of the town converge. It's a pity but the square was not clean when I visited it in the early morning. There were a lot of stinking garbages at one place there. Surely it was not the most beautiful place in Morocco. Or... hmm... maybe I just experienced somewhat called culture shock there.
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Tetouan is located in an agricultural area of northern Morocco. No wonder, I could easily find a lot of stores/street stalls and local markets where grain, livestock, citrus fruit and handicrafts were traded. I could see natives walking with their donkeys for sale and using double-wheel carts to transport goods for sale. And a lot of street stalls with textiles as well.
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In front of the Palace Hussan II, is an immaculate public square. It was once the old market and meeting place, but in 1988 the area was totally overhalled, with a new public area and palace. The Minaret like towers in front of either side of the building are actually floodlights, not Minarets.
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Visiting Souks, Medinas, Kasbas are all essential experiences of visiting these types of countrys. It wonderful wandering around aimlessly, but so easy to get lost and lose your sense of direction in the maze of passage ways. Don't worry about getting lost, the people here are so helpful & friendly. The photo is one of Tetouen Medina entrances
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Reviews and photos of Tetouan attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Tetouan sightseeing.
bilal TETOUAN
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