Tangier’s American Legation, a museum in the medina

In 1821 the Sultan of Morocco gave the young United States a building in the medina of Tangier. It served as a diplomatic mission for well over a century and is today the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies: a museum, a research library and a cultural centre. It describes itself as the only U.S. National Historic Landmark located overseas.

Inside, rooms and courtyards hold exhibitions on Tangier’s history and on the long friendship between the two countries, as well as paintings, maps and photographs. It is a quiet, rewarding stop on a walk through the lower medina.