Tangier

Date 1354

It has been a difficult land journey to arrive at Tangier.

The city is surrounded by the Atlas mountains that run from the southwest to the northwest. The city itself is located close to the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow water passage which is only 16 miles across in some places. This strait separates Africa from Europe. Legend says that the Greek god Hercules founded the city after he split the continents apart. The strait is guarded by two enormous outcroppings of rock, the one on the African side is called Jebel Musa and the one on the European side is called the Rock of Gibraltar.

The word Gibraltar comes from the Arabic words Jewel Tariff which means Tariff’s Mountain. Tariff was a Muslim general who conquered Spain in the eighth century. A story is told that after the Muslims sailed from North Africa to Spain, Tariq burned their boats at night. The next morning he told his army, "The enemy fought and eventually conquered the whole Iberian peninsula." Parts of Spain will remain in Muslim hands until 1492, a date that has other historical importance, too.

In Tangier you first taste a delicious fruit. It’s orange in color but smaller that an orange. There are many sections and small seeds. People call it a tangerine, after the city of Tangier. While you are in Tangier you hear marvelous and incredible tales of a man who was born in that city in 1305. His name is Ibn Battuta. People say that he has traveled throughout the whole world. They speak of his many adventures and the sites he has seen.

Your Challenege

You will receive 10 dinars if you can name modern countries that exist were Ibn Battuta once traveled. Name three in Asia, three in Africa and two in Europe. For help, you could check the map at this site:

• The Travels of Ibn Battuta
  
  
• Ibn Battuta and hisSaharan Travels
  
  
• Ibn Battuta - the great traveller

Good Luck!