The Grand Socco

The Grand Socco is one of the busiest places in Tangier. Merchants have been coming here for centuries, and the streets leading to the square are lined with small shops of every kind. 

The Grand Socco is also known as Place du 9 Avril. It was on this exact date, in 1947, that Sultan Mohammed V, grandfather of King Mohammed VI, delivered a historic speech calling for Morocco’s independence. The country gained its independence nine years later, in 1956, ending more than forty years of French and Spanish protectorate rule.

At the entrance to the Grand Socco, you will see the Sidi Bou Abid Mosque, built in 1917, with its magnificent minaret decorated with polychrome tiles. A true architectural jewel inspired by Andalusian design, it is named after a saint buried there. Non-Muslims are not permitted inside, but the exterior architecture and the lively atmosphere of the area are well worth the visit.

This beautiful mosque overlooks the medina and serves as an unmistakable landmark in the surrounding area.

Not far from the mosque, you will notice the former residence of the Mendoub, historically associated with the Sultan’s representative. It is mainly from here, in the spring of 1956, that Mohammed V led Morocco toward independence. Quite a reversal, considering that only a few years earlier, during the Second World War, the Nazi flag flew over this very building, which housed the German embassy under Hitler.

Today, the former Mendoub Palace houses Tangier’s commercial court. The building is surrounded by the Mendoubia Gardens, one of the city’s oldest and most emblematic green spaces, serving as a “lung” between the medina and the new town.

Another iconic landmark of the Grand Socco is the legendary Cinema Rif. Built in 1948 under the name Cinema Rex, it was restored in 2007 by a group of artists to house the Cinematheque de Tanger. A leading cultural institution, it has become a unique center of its kind in North Africa. The venue includes a movie theater, a library, a café, and a terrace where we invite you to pause and take in the pulse of this legendary neighborhood.

In addition to screenings of current and classic films, Cinema Rif hosts a wide variety of artistic events, including opportunities to meet actors and attend concerts.

The archives of Cinema Rif, containing more than a thousand audiovisual documents, preserve a valuable memory of Moroccan, North African, and Middle Eastern cinema.

On the other side of the Grand Socco square stands the Bab al Fahs Gate, which we pass through to enter and leave the medina. In the street adjacent to the central square, many colonial-style buildings, such as the Cafe Colon, bear witness to Tangier’s rich history.