MEDINA OF TETOUAN
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the medina of Tetouan bears witness to a history that blends Arab and Spanish destinies.
Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, the vast medina of Tetouan is a concentrate of local life, with its souks and squares, all showcases of traditional crafts and witnesses of a rich history mixing Arab and Spanish destinies. It was for a long time a trading city, an intellectual center, a city known from St. Petersburg to Alexandria. One of the inescapable aspects of the medina is its Andalusian influence which is expressed in all its corners, from the architecture to the urban organization. The city's mixture of cultures is still very present: the whitewashed facades decorated with wrought iron gates are reminiscent of the Spanish style, and the street names are often written in the language of Cervantes. The city was completely destroyed by the Spaniards in the 15th century during their reconquest that took them across the Strait of Gibraltar. They undertook to rebuild Tetouan. The architectural layout of the city had to take into consideration the establishment of commercial and artisanal places, and also religious buildings such as mosques and zaouïas that housed Sufi brotherhoods. These spiritual centers quickly became cells of jihad, preparing the reconquest of the Moroccan coasts and, later, the fight against the advance of the Spanish and French colonizations. Later, Ottoman, Rifian and European influences were added to this Andalusian city to form a particularly subtle mix.
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