THE AMERICAN LEGATION IN TANGIERS

The American Legation in Tangiers is a building located in the city centre.

The oldest American diplomatic building abroad, it is listed as the first historical monument located outside the United States.

Morocco was the first country to officially recognise the independence of the United States of America under the leadership of Moulay Abdellah.

As a symbol of this new friendship, Sultan Moulay Slimane offered this house in Tangiers to the American diplomatic mission in 1821.

It is the only monument belonging to the United States outside its national territory (not including its embassies).

This legation was transformed into a museum in 1956, now managed by a private foundation based in Washington.
In remembrance of this historical link, American President Eisenhower was also the first to recognize Morocco's independence in 1956 and personally travelled to Rabat for the occasion.
The museum is a huge residence of forty rooms, furnished in the fashion of the 19th century.

The rooms are covered with white carpets.

The second house was bought in 1890 by an American consul, Maxwell Blake, who donated it to the United States.

Crossing through the passage overlooking the alleyway connecting the two parts, one can notice the contrast between the two buildings: the first, European; and the second, Moroccan, with its moucharabiehs enabling one to see without being seen.

One room is dedicated to Paul Bowles, the adventurous novelist, author of A Tea in the Sahara, who ended his days in Tangiers in 1999.

The museum also houses Morocco's only English language library.

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