GIBRALTAR
The first object of my study today was to be Gibraltar, a self governing British colony reaching out toward North Africa. I had negotiated a terrific price with a local tourist office. A number of my friends asked me to make reservations for them too. Our bus left Torremolinos early in the morning and we made a few hotel stops for additional passengers. The highway along the sea afforded good scenery as we headed for the Rock. See map on right.
As we approached the site I took a video of the famous Rock of Gibraltar. Before crossing into Gibraltar I took a shot of graffiti on the Spanish side of the border: “British leave Gibraltar.” Gibraltar is only 3 miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide, with approximately 29,00 inhabitants. Tiny as it is, the colony is an immense source of bitterness among the Spanish, who consider themselves the rightful owners.
Earlier the Spanish had regained this colossal toehold from the Moors, but lost it in turn to the British in 1713, after losing the War of the Spanish Succession. Then came the Great Siege (1779-83) pictured right, one of innumerable Spanish attempts to retake the hunk of limestone.
Looking up toward the northern portion of the rock we see this Keep of a Moorish Castle. This keep dates from the middle of the 14th century, and is known as the Tower of Homage. See Gibraltar Guidebook, edited by Tito Benady, 1994. The present name of Gibraltar comes from the Arabs, who invaded Spain in the 8th century and called it Gibel Tarik, the Mountain of Tarik (their leader). Contrary to popular myth Tarik did not build the castle, but rather the Sultan of Morocco, Abd-al-Mummin. It was built to protect the crossing from Morocco that was bringing in armies to fight the Spanish Christians. This explains its position on the northern side of the Rock. In 1462 the Castilian forces took the stronghold. Later in 1704 it became a stronghold of the British. Note the British Union Jack fluttering above the Moorish Keep.
The fortified British position was surrounded by walls. Today, just outside the water casements, is this cannon monument (which then would have been under water but now is situated upon land fill).
My next task was to walk along Main Street. The present line of Main Street is today almost the same as it was when it was first built by those Moslem constructors six hundred years ago.
The British presence today is unmistakable, from the fluttering Union Jacks to the friendly bobbies shown here. The street was narrow and full of shoppers spending their English pounds. The population of the city is now about 30,000 of which some 20,000 are native Gibraltarians, 6,000 are British expatriates, and the rest are mostly workers from Morocco.
Further down Main Street I came upon the House of Assembly and City Hall. A bust of Governor Sir George Don adorns the entrance. Gibraltar’s parliament has fifteen elected members. The Government party secures eight seats and the balance of seven seats goes to the Opposition. Gibraltarian law follows English law very closely and the Court of Justice is fashioned in the English pattern. The buildings in the area of the Assembly often have beautiful wrought iron balconies. The iron work was made locally at the Old Haynes foundry in Gibraltar.
Naturally there were British style pubs and tobacco shops along Main Street.
One of the most prominent buildings was the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned. This cathedral stands on the site of what had been the chief mosque and some of the early Moorish structure can still be made out. The cathedral was badly damaged when the Spanish shelled the city during the Great Siege and had to be completely rebuilt.
I saw the nearby Church of England Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
After viewing Wellington’s Front lined with cannons. we boarded our taxi-coach and headed out to the southern side of Gibraltar. Here from Europe Point we saw Trinity Light House.
Across the Straights of Gibraltar was Africa. With my camcorder, I zoomed in on Mount Abyla, the African Pillar of Hercules.
To reach our next touring area of Gibraltar we went through a tunnel in the Rock. Altogether there are more than thirty miles of tunnels in Gibraltar. Our goal was St. Michael’s Cave. St. Michael’s Cave was quite impressive with its beautiful nature made stalactites and stalagmites. From a cross section of one of the stalagmites, one can see the rings showing the growth of the column by accretion of sediment deposited by water over the centuries.
Among the legends of the cave is one that it was linked to Morocco and was the passageway for African monkeys to reach Gibraltar. We first saw the famous wild monkeys of Gibraltar from our bus window. The so-called Rock Apes of Gibraltar, the Macaca sylvaus, is really not an ape at all, but a tail-less macaque monkey that is a native of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Their origin here dates to the early days of the British garrisons when the monkeys were imported as pets for amusement in this dull outpost of the empire. A number of them got away and established themselves in the wild. They have since adapted themselves well to the environment.
We pulled over to a viewing area along the wall where we could get out and mix with the monkeys. Our guide warned us to be careful that we do not let them snatch our cameras or valuables, since they are not always inclined to return them.
Below the wall where we visited the monkeys was the newer part or added part of Gibraltar. These buildings along with the present harbor and dockyard were built almost entirely on reclaimed ground. This was planned at the end of Queen Victoria’s reign when the Royal Navy ruled the seas. This naval harbor played a vital role in the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942. However, the Navy now occupies only a small part of the\ harbor and the dockyard belongs to the Gibraltar Government and is used for merchant ships.
As our taxi-coach started to descend the mountain we got a good view of the Moorish Keep once more, this time up close. Back aboard our double-decker bus we cleared through customs and headed back to Torremolinos and an excellent Classical Flamenco Ballet Show at the Bajondillo.
Tuesday
The trip to Tangiers was a long one so we boarded our bus early in Torremolinos . Before we reached Algeciras, our embarkation point, African mountains were visible on the other side of the strait.
The wind coming in off the ocean seemed to keep up a perpetual breeze. This explained the many windmill-like propellers here which were set up to harness the energy.
At the docking site in Algeciras was this statue of King Sancho IV, El Bravo seated on his throne, facing an old Moorish fortification. He was a Spanish king who conquered Tarifa from the moors in 1292. Passports were checked at the boarding area. Here I videotaped a lovely French speaking guide who seemed to pop up everywhere we went. We did not take the hydrofoil or the car ferry, but rather a catamaran type ferry that had little trouble with the ocean waves. Out in the water we saw many commercial vessels passing through the Straits of Gibraltar.
The reception by lively African musicians that we received at the dock in Tangiers was great! Tangier (Tanger) , at the cross-roads of Europe and Africa, of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, opens the door onto Morocco. It has long been coveted because of its strategic position. Since Tangier was founded in the 4th century BC Carthaginians, Romans, Phoenicians, Vandals, Arabs, Spaniards, Portuguese, and the English have jealously fought for the right to control it.
Our tour bus dropped us off outside a large Portuguese fortified wall. We entered the historic Tangier via the Bab Erraha Gate. Our English speaking guide tells us the center of Tangier is the busy Grand Socco Market, alongside which is the old city dominated by its kasbah (citadel) .
We walked along the narrow streets of the wall enclosed kasbah.
Sounds of drums announced the presence of a snake performance. The first snake we were introduced to was a large black cobra. After he was placed into a box the Arab pulled out another long snake and asked for participants to experience a snake around the neck. Our friend New Yorker Pam proved to be the snake charmer.
The Restaurant Hammedi was to be the setting for our dinner.
Music greeted us as we entered and we sat down at a table by the musicians. These friendly Arabs sang and performed Moroccan music with traditional instruments.
The meal was quite Moroccan with hot schish-ka-bobs (meat unknown), chicken with seasoned rice and sweet raisins, mint tea and a fancy desert with a honey flavor.
Then out came the belly dancer (but not of the James Bond movie variety) who shook up the place with her ample body.
We learned more about Moroccan food as we walked through the Grand Socco Market with its many open air stalls. Local vendors sold just about everything imaginable: little ripe tomatoes, walnuts, leather goods, apples, huge bins of green and ripe olives, lemons, plucked chickens with their throats cut, and home made bread cakes.
No visit would be complete without a sales pitch from a carpet outlet dealer (prices easily range from $2,000 to $5,000 for a room carpet).
We left the marketplace for a drive above the city. Here we met some camels waiting for tourists. New Yorker Pam showed us her riding technique.
We had a quick look at the city below and headed back to the harbor for our boat ride to Spain.
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO, NORTH AFRICA
From the window of the RAM 737 I videoed the ocean and the ocean coast as the plane veered towards the Mohammed V Casablanca airport. The land looked quite arid with the exception of patches of green in areas served by irrigation.
We stopped at our Casablanca Holiday Inn on Hassan II blvd only long enough for room assignments and freshening up. Now we were ready for our city tour. Casablanca was founded in 1515 by the Portuguese on the site of ancient Anfa (Berber city destroyed in 1468). Under the French who occupied it in 1907, Casablanca grew into a huge city and port. Architects began designing a model city in 1912, so that today it is the largest major city in northern Africa and stunning for its architectural beauty. The government of Morocco is a Constitutional Monarchy, but the king has real authority. Although there is a one house legislature to make laws, the king has the right to appoint the prime-minister, close down parliament, and approve all bills
Our first stop was at a large Catholic church constructed by the French beginning in 1912 at a time when Morocco was a French Protectorate (to the consternation of the Germans) and finished in 1959 after the war with Germany. The nation is 98% Islamic, but the French and Spanish have had an influence on Casablanca. The exterior of the French church is neo-Gothic and the interior has walls of beautiful stained glass windows.
Our second stop was at this City Hall with a guard stationed at the entrance. Our Arab guide said that there were many city halls, but this one was the largest. The elaborate entrance was quite arabesque and the anteroom had a large picture of the present king, King Hassan II, next to three Moroccan flags. Another picture of him was in the main room. The interior reminded one of Alhambra because of the delicate and profuse decorations along the walls and arches, and the elaborate courtyards, and domes dripping with carved stalactites. As we left the building, I taped the French lettering on the building, The armed guard was still at his post.
The third stop was the palace of Hassan II, and it too was guarded by armed soldiers with automatic weapons. Our Arab guide reminds us that the entrances we will view will not include the main entrance. This area we saw is for visitors on public occasions. That explains the large patio setting and lighting system. From the palace you can see minarets marking the locations of mosques.
Our fourth stop was for the Hassan II Mosque which dominates the city. Built on the edge of the ocean it rises like some kind of ship. The prayer hall can accommodate 25,000 and the esplanade 80,000 more. Here has been erected the tallest minaret (200 meters) in the world. I zoomed in on the tower for a close up of its details. Oddly enough, by just turning around from this magnificent structure, I could tape a poor neighborhood enclosed with walls.
As we moved on I took shots from the bus window of people in the streets. Some wore traditional Muslim clothing, others western garb. From the moving bus a brief glimpse of palace of Mohamed V (father of Hassan II). We shopped a little at stores and from vendors in downtown Casablanca. The video shows a jewelry display of reasonably priced necklaces, from which I made purchases for my wife. We even drove by the area associated with the Bogart film “Casablanca.”
Having accomplished the mission I returned back to the Casablanca Holiday Inn to rest before the next day trip home. The hotel later was purchased from another mega-company.
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