All that many travelers see in Tetuan is a bus station. Meanwhile, this city is very much worth it to spend more time here. It is multinational: the Spanish, Berber and Jewish cultures have been mixed and integrated here for a long time. Arabic, French and Spanish are spoken here.
How to get to Tetuan Tetuan
- a major transport hub of northern part of the country, and here is not. hard to get by bus. From Tangier to go no more than an hour (one bus daily), from Casablanca - 6-7 hours (two buses a day, via Rabat), from Rabat - 4-5 hours, from Meknes - 5 hours (daily bus), from Marrakech - 11 hours (also daily bus).
Search for air tickets to the city of Casablanca (the nearest airport to Tetuan)
01.03 - 14 days Excursion tour of Tunisia - Algeria - Morocco from 208 000 rubles
06.03 - 12 days Morocco - Algeria from 208 000 rubles
18.03, 15.04, 29.04 - 12 days "Opening of Morocco" from 137 000 rubles.
"Opening of Morocco", 6n. - from 129 900 rubles / person
Four Seasons Resort Marrakech 5 *, 5n. - from 174 900 rubles / person
Special offer for flight a / k Royal Air Maroc!
A little history
The Mauritanian village on the site of the present Tetuan appeared in 3 more century BC . . e, later visited here and the Carthaginians, and Romans . in the early 14th century, the city has revived from the desolation of the reigning sultan, but in the 15th century destroyed the city Castilians . After the fall of Granada at the end of the Spanish Reconquista refugees who were expelled from Spain arrived in Tetuan in hundreds and thousands, sharply increasing the number of local population . Fell in love with the city and pirates . In the beginning of the 20th century it became the capital of Is Moroccan and remained for more than 40 years . Historically, Tetuan was also the place where all Moroccan Jews flocked; Although the mid-20th century, almost all of them have left the city, he emigrated to other countries .
Entertainment, tours and attractions
Tetuan Tetuan is located in the middle of a chain of orchards, which grow oranges, almonds, pomegranates and cypresses . Nearby are the Reef Mountains, and the city picturesquely climbs along the northern slope of the hill in the valley that goes down to the Martil River . The streets of Tetuan are wide and straight, and many houses on them once belonged to the local aristocracy; They are decorated with marble fountains and gardens with orange trees . ceilings in private residences are often covered with beautiful carvings and frescoes like alambrskih or . of Granada is also famous for its mosaics Tetuan: they decorate the floors, columns and lower parts of the walls .
Medina Tetuan attributed by UNESCO to World Heritage sites . Unlike other Moroccan Medin, the Tetuan reflects the unique multicultural history of the northern part of the country . It is divided into three parts: Andalusian, Hebrew kuyu and Berber, although inexperienced eye can hardly distinguish offhand where one ends and another begins . houses everywhere white, mostly short, everywhere walk around all sorts of artisans - jewelers, tanners, weavers and street vendors are actively trying to sell to tourists carpets . Due to its small size, Medina can be inspected slowly and without risking getting lost . Of course, you can do it yourself, but you will get much more pleasure by going on a guided tour .
Avenue of Mohammed V is a pedestrian street in the center of the city. In the evening, when the day's heat falls, it is filled with people: there are dozens of cafes, boutiques, restaurants, tourist shops, and street vendors are scurrying around. If you go further down the avenue, you will reach second-hand book shops in all kinds of world languages, and also to the royal palace.
At the top of the hill above the city stands the old Kasbah, the medieval fortress of Medina. From here you can see a good view of the mountains, and on the territory of the fortress you can easily wander a couple of hours. Plus, in Kasbah there is a street filled entirely with jewelry stores alone. Passing through the vegetable market, meat and fish ranks and Berber shops, you will find yourself on it. In each showcase, there shines and poured either gold as such or dresses and costume made by him.
- Walking in the Garden of Lovers - replica of the gardens in Spanish Granada.
- Pull on the urban market - a bitch who at the same time is similar to all similar markets in the Arab countries, and, like all of them, is unique.
- Go to the herbal pharmacy and try the aromas of a couple of dozen medicinal mixtures. Most likely, it will be completely unclear to you from what they are treating, but you can buy something at random, focusing on your own nose.
- Make a lot of pictures of fat and content cats in Kasbah
- Drink water from the secaite, public fountain, bearing in mind that they are still not connected to the modern water supply system, but are supplied with water from natural sources (as was planned at the time of creation.)
In the time of its former glory in Tetuan, there were more than 40 watchtowers. Today there are about 20 of them: some are united with the city wall, and some stand alone. The Al-Iskal Tower near Bab-Al, built in 1820 under the rule of Sultan Abdelrahman, was opened for visiting.
In Tetuan there is an archaeological museum located near the gate Bab-Tut. Archaeological finds suggest that people lived here more than a million years ago, and many of them are represented in the museum's exposition. This includes artifacts found in the caves of Martil and Sidi-Abdurrahman. In addition to Stone Age items, the museum also features aerial photographs of Mzura - some kind of similarity of Stonehenge - and its three-dimensional model.
The Museum of Moroccan Art is located next to the gate of Bab Okla. Here you can admire even the beautiful mosaics that were found in the houses of Lexos in the 1-2 centuries BC. e. In addition, the museum exhibits traditional costumes and local musical instruments
A school of traditional crafts was opened near the museum in 1928 ., where children are taken at the age of 9, and where they study for 7 years . The school is open for a tourist visit, and you can get really interesting impressions . The pupils are engaged in six courses: molding, metal work, ceramics, woodwork, carpet weaving and tailoring, as well as painting with natural colors . Straight at the entrance the school begins the exhibition student works, and when you go to the patio in the summer, you almost certainly will get to the student master classes .
The National Institute of Fine Arts was founded in 1947 by Marion Bertuchi, a Spanish artist. Since 2000, the institute teaches a course of drawing strips of comics. And the annual international strip festival takes place here in 2004.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tetuan occupies the building of the old Spanish the train station on Almassera Street . Trains stopped walking with the proclamation of Morocco's independence, but nowadays a beautiful and rich building has been restored by placing photos inside the collection . A zdan At home, Ben Abdo opened the Museum of Veterans of the Moroccan War of Independence . It is likely that you are not interested in these local history events, but the museum is worth a visit: it is an excellent example of an old town house with paintings and mosaics in the interior, arches and patterned staircases .
Book popular Tetuan hotels at the best prices
| Hotel Chams from 5 371 rubles Tétouan Avenue Abdelkhalek Torres | La Paloma from 4 889 rubles Tétouan 751, Avenue Moulay Hassan Bel Mehdi |
| Hôtel Atenas from 3 099 rubles Tétouan Bd Allal Ben Abdellah | El Yacouta from 2 823 rubles Tétouan Km 2 Route De Tetouan Ceuta |
| Hôtel Marina from 1 309 rubles Tétouan Avenue Meknès |
But not only Medina is attractive in Tetuan . Walking by new part of the city, you can admire a few fine Spanish colonial buildings . In particular, the center of Almandery near the Umayama hotel is an interesting architectural mix of Spanish and Moroccan traditions . The old building of the Spanish barracks also deserves attention: colorful terracotta and recognizable, it stands near the central passage . And by itself a passage with a pointed arch, you in the 1920s ., also draws attention . Well, finally, it is worth to inspect the Catholic Cathedral, which is distinguished by a powerful square tower with a clock .
Neighborhoods of Tetuan
Tamuda Bay is located 15 km from the city, and here on the area of 50 hectares a first-class leisure infrastructure was created . Luxury hotels and country clubs have golf courses, water parks, shops and restaurants . Also there are two marinas for pleasure boats and yachts, an opportunity to take in rent any equipment for water sports and thalassot centers Apia . The resort area starts from M'diq, which in itself deserves attention due to its romantic port . This is an ideal place for an intimate dinner, after which it will be very pleasant to stroll through the village streets and look at traditional fishing boats . Fans of the species can thus walk to the Cape Negro lighthouse .