![Grand Socco Tangier](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Grand_Socco_Tangier.jpg)
The Grand Socco, officially the Place du 9 Avril 1947, is a historic quasi-circular roundabout square separating the old
medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
from newer developments in downtown
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
.
Overview
The term, ''socco'' is a Spanish corruption of the Arabic ''
souq'' (or souk). The Grand Socco is surrounded by a mosque, a few shops, several banks, half a dozen modest restaurants with covered outdoor seating areas, several cafés, the Cinema Rif, an Amendis office and a pharmacy. On one side is the arch entrance to
Mendoubia
The Mendoubia or Mandubiyya ( es, Mendubía) refers to the former residence and office of the Mendoub, the representative of the Sultan of Morocco in the Tangier International Zone from 1924 to 1956 (with interruption during World War II). It no ...
Gardens and another arch leads to the Rue de la Kasbah, also known as Rue d'Italie.
In the mid-1950s many large trees were cut down in the round central outdoor market. Currently, the Grand Socco has a large marble fountain in the center, surrounded by tall palm trees and small flower gardens with a dozen benches for people to sit and relax.
The square underwent further development in 2005.
See also
*
Sidi Bou Abid Mosque
*
Petit Socco
The Petit Socco, also known as the Place Souk Dakhel or in Spanish as Zoco Chico, is a small square in the medina quarter of Tangier, Morocco.
Name
The words are a combination of the French word ''petit'', meaning 'little/small', and the Sp ...
References
Buildings and structures in Tangier
Tourist attractions in Tangier
Squares in Morocco
{{Morocco-stub