The International Zone

The international status is signed in 1923 by France, Spain and the United Kingdom, later joined by other powers. The city theoretically remains under Moroccan sovereignty but is jointly administered, with its own laws, courts, multinational police and an assembly of signatory representatives. No other city in the world will know such a hybrid regime — at once Moroccan, European and neutral.

With no customs duties, several currencies in circulation, light taxation and de facto banking secrecy, Tangier becomes in the 1940s and 50s a bustling financial hub. Banks, shell companies, street changers and big fortunes converge on the city. That freedom also attracts smuggling — cigarettes, gold, currency — and a small international underworld. This is the 'zone' Tangier, a fascinating and sometimes murky blend of business, journalism, spying and nightlife.

The international status ends on 29 October 1956, months after Moroccan independence. Tangier loses its customs and tax privileges but keeps a special atmosphere for a long time. The international 'parenthesis' left Art Deco buildings, cinemas, cafés, legendary hotels like the Minzah and the Continental, and above all a lasting image in 20th-century cinema, literature and music. The city now claims that legend with pride.