Monday's eye on Tangier-Le coup d'oeil du lundi sur Tanger

A small flowery cul de sac in the Kasbah.

Un cul de sac fleuri dans la Casbah.

Image: Joelle Desparmet

Monday's eye on Tangier-Le coup d'oeil du lundi sur Tanger

Peeking at the modern part of Tangier through a hole in the ramparts surrounding the historical Kasbah.

Un oeil sur le Tanger moderne à travers un trou dans le rempart de la Casbah historique.

Image: Joelle Desparmet

The restauration of the Kasbah Mosque-La renovation de la mosquée de la Casbah

 The mosque in the Kasbah of Tangier is being renovated. It was established in the mid 18th century and renovated once in 1860. It was indeed in need of a face lift but is in fact being entirely refurbished inside and out.

La mosquée de la Casbah de Tanger est en cours de renovation. Elle fût établit dans la première moitié du 17è siècle et ensuite rénovée une première fois en 1860. Elle avait vraiment besoin d'une remise en état.

Magnificent ceilings have been restored outside...

Des plafonds peints magnifiques ont été restaurés à l'extérieur...

 ...and inside. 

...tout comme à l'intérieur.

The pillars and all the woodwork have been done anew. The brass chandeliers have been repaired and shined up. I took the pictures of the inside of the mosque while it was still possible as after the official opening I, as a non-believer, will not be able to enter.

Les piliers et les boiseries ont été entièrement refaites et les chandeliers en laiton ont été réparés et polis. J'ai pris ces photos pendant qu'il était encore temps car n'étant pas musulmane je ne pourrais pas entrer après l'inauguration.

Here are before and after photos of the minaret. The intricate brick and tile work has been replaced and the minaret returned to its original splendour.

Voici le minaret avant et après la rénovation. Le travail de brique et de jellij a été remplacé afin de rendre au minaret sa beauté originale.

What a joy to see this architectural marvel as it was once.

Quelle joie de voir cette splendeur architecturale retrouver sa grâce d'antan.

Images: Joelle Desparmet

Monday's eye on Tangier-Le coup d'oeil du lundi sur Tanger

Lunch break at school in the Kasbah. Pink school aprons fluttering in the sun.

L'heure du déjeuner à l'école de la Kasbah. Tabliers roses papillonnant au soleil.

Image: Joelle Desparmet

Monday's eye on Tangier-Le coup d'oeil du lundi sur Tanger

Mirrors, teapots and lamps in the metal worker's shop in the Kasbah of Tangier.

Miroirs, théières et lampes chez le ferblantier de la Kasbah de Tanger.

Image: Joelle Desparmet

Monday's eye on Tangier-Le coup d'oeil du lundi sur Tanger

Walking along on a cold day in the Kasbah. Winter oranges gleaming in the sun.

Promenade tranquille par une froide journée rue de la Casbah. Oranges d'hiver scintillant dans le soleil.

Image: Joelle Desparmet

Monday's eye on Tangier-Le coup d'oeil du lundi sur Tanger

A blue cul-de-sac in the Kasbah. The shade of a giant geranium. A cool and quiet summer afternoon in Tangier.

Une impasse bleue dans la Kasbah. L'ombre d'un géranium géant. Calme et fraicheur d'un après-midi d'été à Tanger.

Image: Joelle Desparmet

Monday's eye on Tangier- Le coup d'oeil du lundi sur Tanger

The sun is setting on Tangier. Everything is finally quiet in the Kasbah. A man reflects on his day as he ambles home. 

Le soleil se couche sur Tanger. Tout est enfin calme dans la casbah. Un homme baguenaude sur le chemin de la maison en repensant à sa journée. 

Have a good week wherever you are. Bonne semaine où que vous soyez.

The alleys of the Kasbah of Tangier

A Kasbah is a quarter of North African cities in which the citadel is located. In the old days it was the fortified area townspeople would run to when the city was attacked, much like the forts in old Europe. The kasbahs were built in a time when there were no motorised vehicles and the streets are narrow so that only pedestrians and small animal-drawn carriages can get though. 

The streets of the Kasbah are really tantacle-like alleys, some ending at front doors like here. The old facade on the right contrasts with the renovated one at the end of the lane. While rather decrepit it gives an authentic old oriental feel to the alley.

This small dead-end was closed with a delicately designed wrought iron gate. Again the contrast between old and new.

This one ends in a sort of common shaded patio.

The white washed walls sparkle in the summer sun. The cloth hang out to dry in the alley.

A more colourful covered alley. The ceiling is actually the floor of the house above. Houses are often divided into smaller spaces to accommodate multiple heirs: one brother may have the lower floor and part of the second floor while the other gets the other part and the floors above. It makes for interesting floor plans.

Always the unusual mix of colours, each owner painting "his" wall as he chooses. The result is a modern painting in soft tones. There is true beauty of the Kasbah.

Images: Joelle Desparmet

A French colonial house in Tangier

Tangier is home to a great number of expats who are usually seasoned world travellers. For their homes they often mix Moroccan decor with a blend of objects brought from their home countries or picked up during their travels. The result is eclectic, very personal and absolutely lovely.

This Frenchman lives in the Kasbah, the fortified, ancient part of the city. This is the view from one side of the house...

...and from another. The view of the bay at sunset with the full moon high in the sky is stunning.

Like most houses in the Kasbah, there are many stories connected to terraces. That's his bedroom behind the wrought iron door. Imagine waking up to the sprawling bay at sunrise.

The hallway connecting one part of the house to another is lined with an antique berber tent tapestry and the ceiling had been painted in the traditional way. "Orientalist" paintings cover the wall.

The decor is a mixture of antique and mid-century modern furniture and art. The two paintings on the right are 1950's portraits of family members.

The bright blue paint of the living room walls works perfectly with the reds of cushions, sofas and carpets.

Traditional lamps hang from a skylight and the corner of a ceiling.

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Sparkling brass candelabras sparkle on tables and steps.

Images (sorry, it was getting dark and I took the photos with my old Iphone): Joelle Desparmet

The doors of Tangier

What is a front door? Is it a barrier that turns a foe away or a soft veil you pull back to let a friend in?

The doors of traditional Tangier homes are both these things: thick, strong and locked but ready to be opened with a smile. And even then, a door never opens directly onto a room. One must never see inside from the street. The home is private and not everyone gains access but once you are invited in, the welcome is sincere and warm.

The home is the realm of women as the streets and cafés are the realm of men. Once inside, women shed their outer garments called djellabas, and their head scarfs. Behind doors, they are themselves. Outside, they hide their bodies and faces and become what others want them to be. Isn't that what we  all do?

A front door shields and protects but also summons and welcomes. A closed door is forbidding and mysterious but it holds the promise of warmth, safety and sustenance. Thus are the doors of Tangier.

A woman peeking outside in the Kasbah

She seems ready to rush back in at the first sign of a stranger coming down the alley but takes a quick glance outside between her chores.

The ornate facade of a house in the medina. 
The choice of yellow is bold and modern and enhances the intricate antique carving and tiles. The door is opened but there are other doors in the dark vestibule. The shutters are closed and we can only wonder: what secrets do they protect?

My neighbour's modest door 

Flowering roses in the shade of the faded stucco adorn the window. The front door is solid and shut tight but the facade is cheerful and welcoming much like its owner.

This building close to the house is the ancient mausoleum of a marabout. 
A marabout is a muslim religious leader and teacher. He is often a scholar of the Qur'an, the muslin holy writings. Religious meetings take place here on islamic holidays. The door is opened wide then but only a chosen few can enter.

This mausoleum was made famous by Matisse who painted it when he stayed in Tangier in 1912.

A massive carved and painted wood door  
It is topped by a stunning ceiling. The door hinges at the top of the door are in fact simple mortise and tenon systems that rotate inside the star-like boxes at the top with similar ones at the bottom.

The simplicity of a door
The softness of the pastel colours, the serenity of the modest entrance, that is the magical beauty of Tangier. You can almost smell cumin, ginger and cinnamon mixed with sweet jasmin and lemony lentana wafting out of the wrought iron open transom.

A simple brown door at the end of a cobbled path
In Morocco, an alley that is painted blue like this one signifies a dead end: there is no exit, advance no further unless you have been invited. The plant is a giant pelargonium intermingled with ivy. In summer it is covered in huge red flowers.

Three majestic doors surrounded by carved stone 
They are the entrances to an ancient Sultan's Palace in the Kasbah dating back centuries. The first door leads to a section of the Palace that is closed and uninhabited.

The other two are entrances to Hotel Nord Pinus which recently opened and has sweeping views on Spain and the Bay of Tangier. Behind awaits a grand marble hall with antique tiled walls and a small stone fountain.

A child-size but intricate oak door in an opening in the rampart of the Kasbah

Who is peering out at us through the three holes to the right of the door? Little children or giggling elves? We may never find out.

Do come in and welcome to our homes in Tangier.

PHotos: JADH Design, Sylvie Pellet and Joëlle Desparmet

I had a house in Africa...(Karen Blixen)

I also have a house in Africa. Morocco to be precise, in Tangier, the white city, "the dove resting on the shoulder of Africa" as French author Henri de Montherlant once wrote.

The upper terrace with the King's Mosque in the distance

The lower terrace at tea time

Welcome to the jewel that is Tangier. I hope I will be able to show you the Tangier I know and to convey the feelings of awe it awakens in me and so many travelers.

The bay from on a friend's house nestled on the ramparts of the Kasbah

Tangier is a city on the sea and the constant breeze blowing in from the Strait of Gibraltar keeps the temperature at a comfortable level even in summer.

The entrance to the Kasbah, the fortified part of the old city

What struck me first was the kindness Moroccans show complete strangers. They will go out of their way to give you directions and will even accompany you where you are going so you don't get lost. There are street signs in the new city but the old part, the medina where the shops are, can be challenging to newcomers.

See you again soon in Tangier.