Michael Toler … is the title that State Magazine – the monthly magazine of the US Department of State – gave to my article in their September issue (click here for the interactive edition; my article is on pages 22-23). Here's a screen shot, with the text below for the nearsighted among you. – – – – … Read more Gem of Tangier
Once again, in a long tradition that now is a Tangier-in-Ramadan institution, the American Legation was the venue last night for a concert of Arab-Andalusian music. And it did not disappoint. The audience – despite one of the hottest days yet this summer – was fully into the swing of this rythmic music, one of … Read more A Ramadan Evening To Warm the Heart
It’s out. Diana Wylie’s book Enchantment: Pictures From the Tangier American Legation Museum. And it’s a beauty. At left, Diana shows me a chapter on Tangier’s International Zone era, from the galley proof of her book. In the book world, you shouldn’t judge solely by covers. Not only is Boston University Professor Wylie’s book full … Read more Enchanting Book On America’s Legation
Usually, I content myself with wishing everyone a happy month of Ramadan and proceeding to other matters. This time, living in the medina of Tangier and observing the month of Ramadan as respectfully as a non-Muslim can, I want to carry it a step further. Which is why we carried out a Big Clean of … Read more Ramadan Karim, Ramadan Karcher
Right now it's Ramadan, and the month of August, so it's supposed to be quiet, right? The faithful are too tired, hungry, or thirsty to stay awake over books, and the un-Islamic or non-Muslim are expected to stay in Europe, perhaps awaiting better weather and the assurance of daytime food come mid-September. So why is … Read more The Scholars of Summer
What do Ulan Bator, Tangier, and Mexico City have in common? Great weather? Safe water? The best pizza? Some of the above, certainly, though not all the time. Staffers from Bangladesh (AIBS), Jordan (ACOR), Mongolia (ACMS) and Pakistan (AIPS) No, what joins us with places like Tunis, Amman, and Phnom Penh is our membership in … Read more From Mexico to Mongolia: The CAORC World
Imagine this: you reach the age of, say, 35, and you’re driving down the expressway with the kids in the back seat. You get hopelessly lost a half hour from home. You decide, then and there, to sign up at the program offered by the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies, TALIM. The course? … Read more Arabic: Speaking 5, Reading 0
One of the joys of this job – a mix of citizen cultural diplomat, curator, and tour guide – is meeting some of the Americans who make their way to the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies. TALIM, which means education in Arabic, is primarily a research center for scholars (we are the AIMS … Read more Resurrecting Her 19th Century Tangier Consular Uncle
There should be a comma or two in the above title, adding an element of clarity to this post about the annual cultural Moussem of Assilah, an event which requires no invitation to attend, but just try to find out anything about it without traveling to Assilah. No website (or rather, one that hopelessly jams … Read more Culture Diplomacy and Moussems
That's a rather silly title, given that millions of car ferry passengers and cruise ship tourists see the city on the Strait of Gibraltar every year from their ships. I guess what I meant is this: there was a time when three-masted sailing ships, men-of-war and of commerce, regularly moored off this ancient city on … Read more When Tangier Was Seen From the Sea
