Sunday mornings at the Legation are usually very quiet, much like the sleepy streets of Tangier. This Sunday, however, we were honored by a special visit from Idaho Senator James E. Risch and his family. Ambassador Dwight Bush came from Rabat to meet the Risch’s and welcome them on their first visit to Morocco. The family decided to visit Tangier while on vacation in southern Spain. Vicky Risch, Senator Risch’s wife, felt drawn to the idea of visiting the Legation: “I read about the museum before coming to Spain and I just knew that I had to see it.”
Their tour started promptly at 10:30am, with explanatory comments from Ambassador Bush, Yhtimad Bouziane, Associate Director of TALIM and Grecia Álvarez, TALIM Librarian. We started at the beginning, by tracing the amicable history between the United States and Morocco, including how the U.S. came to acquire the Legation. At the Paul Bowles collection we learned about the American and Moroccan “creative types” that called Tangier home during a bold and tumultuous era. Our guests were keenly interested in the architecture of the building and the many examples of Moroccan craftsmanship on display, in the form of inlaid-wood doors, wrought-iron lamps and lush woven carpets.
A highlight of the tour was taking in the view of Spain from the rooftop “Minzah” room. We ended our visit by talking about TALIM’s partnerships and the myriad of activities currently taking place at the Legation. Some things are worth waking up early for!
