Tangier American Legation Museum
Located in Tangier, Morocco
Description
The American Legation in Tangier, Morocco is the only US National Historic Landmark located in a foreign country. The building was a gift from Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah to serve as a diplomatic post, which it did for 140 years, from 1821 to 1961 before becoming a museum and cultural research center.
Morocco was one of the first countries to recognize the United States following a proclamation by the Sultan in 1777. Treaties would follow in 1778 allowing American ships passage into Moroccan ports. American presence was even more critical during World War II where the Office of Strategies Services provided military support.
The museum opened in 1976 with exhibits chronicling the US-Moroccan relationship and local history. Now the facility is known as the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM), holding cultural and educational activities while also being a research center.
Contact and information
8 Rue d'Amerique, Tanger, Morocco
Tel: +212-539-93-53-17
Hours:
M-F 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sat-sun: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Entrance Fee: 50 dirhams (non-residents)
Chip’s Notes
We had found our way to the Legation — now officially known as the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM) — by way of Tangier’s winding medinas.
At the legation, I caught a quote from writer and composer Paul Bowles that captured precisely the attraction that world travel has for me: “I feel that life is very short, and the world is there to see, and one should know as much about it as possible. One belongs to the whole world, not just one part of it.”
You can read about our visit to Tangier in our Dispatch XXIX: Exploring Morocco’s Exotic Cities: Tangier, Tétouan, and Chefchaouen.
Have you visited the Legation Museum? We’d love for you to share your experience in the comments below. Thanks!