Tangier American Legation chimney spanning Rue d'Amérique, seen from the Arab Pavilion Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new American Embassy in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday February 26. In her remarks she noted that our relationship stretches back more than two centuries. Sultan Mohammad III became the … Read more Clinton: Tangier Legation Symbolizes Centuries-old US-Morocco Ties
The radio audience thought that it was a chance to learn about TALIM and the programs of the American Legation in Tangier. Yes, my interview (stay tuned for podcast, though it will be in a mix of Arabic and French) on Radio Tangier was that. But for me, it was a discovery of another … Read more This Is Radio Tangier, Calling the World
I know the print in the above image is a bit small (click on picture to enlarge in a pop-up screen). But what it represents is this: during a long three-week period, ending on 12 December, we had almost no "hits" on TALIM Director's Blog because jinns had taken it over. Our URL, or, in … Read more TALIM On the Digital Map
The organizers, with sold-out table Many websites that provide step-by-step guides to "starting your new tradition" are semi-commercial. With yesterday's first edition of what might well become an annual event, our intent was strictly charitable, but then charity does start at home. Saturday's Tangier American Legation Open House and Christmas Market was a roaring success, … Read more Legation Open House & Christmas Market
Just an ordinary Friday afternoon, an hour or so before closing. What is this – a takeover? More than a dozen French people, with sketch pads and watercolors, descend on our courtyard. It's Franck Hommage (seated on chair, far right) and his friends. This artist from eastern France (he works largely in Nancy) was enticed … Read more Impromptu Art School: Legation Courtyard
All the Morocco guide books mention it: Tetouan's Ecole des Arts et Métiers (EAO in the Spanish that is still very prevalent in Tetuán: Escuela de artes y oficios). Weekenders should abstain: you can only visit the Artisanal School Monday through Thursday. But it's worth rearranging your itinerary. Tetouan is the first (established 1919 under … Read more Tetouan: Morocco’s Mecca For Historic Preservation
"On October 9, the new office building of the Consulate General was completed, and on October 16 the move from the old buildings was completed." The laconic entry of the anonymous diplomat or consular clerk, writing in his or her best "Palmer Method" penmanship, belies its historic importance. What is being described above, from one … Read more Medina Diplomats: December 7, 1797 – October 16, 1961
L to R: Tony Spears, Mhamed Ismaili, Tommy Johnson Earlier this year I joked that the Legation fire plan consisted of praying to St. Florian, patron saint of fire fighters. In the ensuing year, we have made a little progress towards our goal of surviving a fire, and saving the contents of this historic building. … Read more Museum-Quality Extinguishers: Fire Prevention Week
The Kasbah Museum (Moroccan Ministry of Culture) partnered with Italian NGO COSPE to host a two-day seminar on Tangier's architectural and cultural heritage. A worthy effort, one that this city sorely needs, with developers greedily eyeing every square meter of available land. A parade of presenters, including a Moroccan director at the Paris Institut du … Read more Tangier – Worthy Of UNESCO Status?
(click on picture to enlarge) Among all the documents that are squirelled away in odd corners of the Legation's research library or administrative files, every so often an item of more than passing interest surfaces. What we're looking at here is the unmistakable pink of the State Department "airgram" announcing in June 1956 that the … Read more Legation, Consulate, Diplomatic Agency: Tangier’s American Presence
