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Arabic is the official language, though the use of Spanish and French is still widespread. Its main religion is Islam but there are minorities of Jews and Christians.
Tetuan is also the denomination of a Spanish Dukedom, currently held by S.E. Don Hugo O'Donnell, Duke of Tetuan, Grandee of Spain and Count of Lucena, descended from the 1st such Duke, Leopoldo O'Donnell, a former Prime Minister of Spain, who conquered Tetouan in the 19th century. They descend from an old Irish royal family, O'Donnell of Tyrconnell.
Description
The city is situated about 60 km east of the city of Tangier and 40 km south of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta (Sebta) and the Strait of Gibraltar. It is in the far north of the Rif Mountains. To the south and west of the city there are mountains. Tetuan is situated in the middle of a belt of orchards that contain orange, almond, pomegranate and cypress trees. The Rif Mountains are nearby, as the city is located in the Martil Valley. It is picturesquely situated on the northern slope of a fertile valley down which flows the W. Martil, with the harbour of Tetuan, Martil, at its mouth. Behind rise rugged masses of rock, the southern wall of the Anjera country, once practically closed to Europeans, and across the valley are the hills which form the northern limit of the still more impenetrable Rif.
In point of cleanliness Tetuan compares favorably with most Moorish towns. The streets are fairly wide and straight, and several of the houses belonging to aristocratic Moors, descendants of those expelled from Spain, have fine courts surrounded by arcades, some with marble fountains and planted with orange trees. Within the houses the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in hispano-moresque designs, such as are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and dados. The traditional industries are tilework, inlaying with silver wire, and the manufacture of thick-soled yellow slippers, much-esteemed flintlocks, and artistic towels used as cape and skirt by Moorish country girls. The Jews lived in a mellah, separated from the rest of the town by gates which were closed at night. The harbour of Tetuan was obstructed by a bar, over which only small vessels can pass, and the roadstead, sheltered to the North, N.W. and South, is exposed to the East, and is at times unsafe in consequence of the strong Levanter.
History
The city was founded in the 3rd century BC. Artefacts from both the Roman and the Phoenician era have been found in the site of Tamuda.
Around 1305 a city was built here by the Marinid king Abu Thabit. It served as a base for attacks on Ceuta. Around 1400 it was destroyed by the Castilians, because pirates used it for their attacks. By the end of the 15th century it was rebuilt by refugees from the reconquista (reconquest of Spain, completed by the fall of Granada in 1492), when the Andalusian Moors first reared the walls and then filled the enclosure with houses. It had a reputation for piracy at various times in its history. It was taken on 4 February 1860 by the Spaniards under Leopoldo O'Donnell, (who was made Duke of Tetuan, and later Prime Minister of Spain) and almost transformed by them into a European city before its evacuation on 2 May 1862, but so hateful were the changes to the Moors that they completely destroyed all vestiges of alteration and reduced the city to its former state.
The city is situated in the area of Morocco which was formerly ruled by Spain. In 1913 it became the capital of the part of Morocco under Spanish protectorate which was governed by the Jalifa (Spanish for Khalifa, a mulay, i.e. Moroccan prince, serving as Viceroy for the Sultan, and the Spanish Alto comisario accredited to him), and it remained its capital until 1956. Many people in the city still speak Spanish. On road signs often names are written both in Spanish and in Arabic, though many signs are in Arabic and French, the second language of modern Morocco. Tétouan became part of the independent state of Morocco when it was founded out of French Morocco and most of Spanish Morocco in 1956.
Tétouan has also been home of an important Sephardi Jewish community, which immigrated from Spain after the reconquista and the Spanish Inquisition. This Jewish community spoke a form of Ladino known as Haketia. Some of them emigrated later to Oran (in Algeria), to South America and much later to Israel, France and Canada. There are very few Jews left in Tétouan nowadays.
Sights in and around Tétouan
- medina
- The medina (old town) of Tétouan is on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. The inner city is very characteristic and traditional. One can find many white houses there, especially low houses. Everywhere in the city there are people performing their craftsmanship, like weavers, jewellers, leather workers. Street sellers often try to sell carpets to tourists as well.
- The royal palace in Tétouan is situated just outside and by one of the entrances to the medina. There is a public square in front of it.
- kasbah
- mosques
See also
Sources an External links
Cities in Morocco | World Heritage Sites in Morocco
تطوان | Tétouan | Tetuán | تطوان | Tétouan | Тетуан | Tétouan | Tetuan | Tétouan
"Tétouan"