Tangier is situated on the northern most tip of Morocco, and borders the Strait of Gibraltar which looks on to the southern tip of Spain. Tangier has a history of being part of Spain and Portugal and is heavily influenced by these countries, especially due to their close proximity to one another. However, Tangier is currently and still is an important port in Morocco.

Ibn Battuta was born and raised in the city of Tangier. He left his entire family, and all of his friends to go on a journey that he thought would only be to make the Hajj. The Hajj is a religious pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia following the traditions of Abraham. It is the responsibility of all Muslims to make the pilgrimage, and it was especially important for a young scholar like Ibn Battuta to make the pilgrimage to advance his academic career. In reality, he did not return to Tangier for nearly 30 years. He does not talk about his time in Tangier in his Rihla too much because he was leaving there, and he had lived there his entire life. It was still very much an influential place in his life because that is where he had learned the Maliki Islamic Law.

Tangier is different than a lot of other places in Morocco. It was under Spanish rule for many years, and only in 1956 was the city integrated back into Morocco. England also ruled over Tangier in the 17th century. Therefore, the city is heavily influenced by Spanish culture. Tangier is also home to the oldest U.S.-Diplomatic property in the world [1]. Morocco and the United States have a long-standing history of good diplomatic relations dating back to the administration of George Washington. The American Legation Museum in Tangier still displays a letter written by George Washington to Sultan Mohammed III in 1789. The house of Ibn Battuta is supposedly still standing in Tangier.

 

Sources: 

[1] U.S. Department of State, “Background Notes: Morocco.” Last modified March 12, 2012. Accessed June 23, 2012. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5431.htm.