Grand Socco — Attraction in arrondissement de Tanger-Medina طنجة المدينة

Place du 9 Avril 1947, more popularly known as the Grand Socco, is a circular road and park with a large marble fountain in the center. It is one of the main public areas in Tangier which separates the old Medina from the newer areas in downtown Tangier, Morocco.

The circular fountain was built about 15 years ago. Eventually it stopped working and was neglected for a few years, but thankfully, the fountain was repaired, cleaned of dirt and graffiti and the old water pipes were replaced. The newly-restored and cleaned marble fountain was turned on and began spouting water again in the first week of February 2020. Occasionally, for no apparent reason, the fountain is turned off. In December 2024, the fountain is not turned on.

The circular park-like area is surrounded by grassy areas with tall Marrakech palms that are not native to Tangier, but still attractive. There are also a dozen stone benches where you may sit and relax and watch the views and passersby.

From here you can see a mosque, the entrance to Mendoubia Gardens and the large arch leading into the Medina, Rue de la Kasbah (Rue d'Italie), the old covered food market, the popular restored Cinema Rif, half a dozen cafes and simple outdoor restaurants, a pharmacy and other businesses on the perimeter.

The Grand Socco once had huge very old trees similar to those in the Mendoubia Gardens until 1955, when there was a tragic passenger bus accident which killed and injured over 20 people. Unfortunately, the Tangier city authorities at that time ordered all these 300 year old trees cut down, since they believed that the trees themselves caused the accident and not the careless bus driver.

An urgent public petition was circulated and signed by many concerned residents to try to stop the cutting down of these beautiful old trees. Sadly their effort proved useless, to the chagrin of many concerned residents interested in preserving Tangier and its historical areas.

The current Grand Socco (Place du 9 Avril 1947), with its green lawns, flowers, tall palm trees and a dozen benches to sit on overlooking the central marble fountain, remains quite popular with residents...

Grand Socco (meaning "Big souk", officially known as Place du Grand 9 Avril 1947 although the name is rarely used) is a square in the medina area of central Tangier, Morocco and the larger of the Petit Socco which make up the medina of the city. The Grand Socco divides the medina from the Ville Nouvelle area of Tangier. The square was named Place du Grand 9 Avril 1947 after the speech of Mohammed V in support of Moroccan independence on April 9, 1947. Mendoubia Gardens forms part of the area where there is a large marble fountain and park benches.

The square, which underwent further development in 2005,is particularly active during the evenings when vendors put up their extensive displays and sell a diversity of second-hand goods and fruits and spices in the square. The market is particularly colorful, and the female peasant sellers are known for their striped foutas and wide-brimmed straw hats. Nearby are the Forbes Museum of Tangier, the Anglican Church of St. Andrew (1894) and the Sidi Bou Abib Mosque (1917). It is housed in an old synagogue, and displays items such as newspapers, photographs, posters and plans related to the political, sporting, musical and social history of Tangier since the 1930s. It also has a number of contemporary paintings, and exhibitions are regularly held at the...

The large square in the centre of Tangier is more commonly known as "The Grand Socco" where the traveller can find restaurants, ATM at the BMCI bank, petit and grand taxis, the old Rif Cinema, and if unlucky the unwanted attention of false guides touting tours of the adjacent Medina and further north into the Kasbah. These nuisance false guides are not only operating illegally, but may also lead gullible tourists into the narrow confusing streets, where they will quickly become lost and the guide will demand a hefty fee to point them back in the right direction, it's a common extortion practice but one to be aware of.

If a guide is required a licensed official one can be commissioned at the tourist office at 29 Avenue Pasteur, not far from the Grand Socco.

Alternatively, from the Grand Socco pass through Bab el Fahs gate leading into Rue d'Italie then progressing into Rue de la Kasbah at the top of the steep hill turn right into the Kasbah at Porte de la Kasbah, unfortunately at this location the presence of teenage false guide hustlers might be encountered.

The remedy for this unwelcome situation is to arise as early in the morning as possible to visit these historical attractions, false guides are not early...