Royal Palace of Tetouan

The Royal Palace of Tetouan faces Place Hassan II, the old Feddan square, at the edge of the medina in northern Morocco. The palace was established under the Alawite dynasty and played a particularly important part in the 20th century, when Tetouan was the capital of the Spanish protectorate zone from 1913 to 1956. The Spanish administration worked alongside the khalifa, the sultan's representative in the northern zone, and the palace served as his official residence and seat. After independence in 1956 it passed to the Moroccan crown and remains a royal residence used on official visits, so it is closed to the public. The palace complex is large and walled, and its main facade on the square combines Moroccan and Hispano-Moorish elements, with a monumental gate, horseshoe arches, green-tiled roofs, and a colonnaded forecourt. The square itself, with its gardens and crowds of locals in the evening, is the best vantage point. Visitors see only the exterior, and security staff guard the gate; photographing the soldiers or the gate closely can be restricted, so discretion is wise. The palace is kept in good order as an active royal property, and its facade has been repainted and repaired as part of improvements around the square. Because it stands beside the medina entrance and the Bab er-Rouah, a stop at the palace fits naturally into a walk through old Tetouan. The setting gives a clear sense of the city's political role in the early 20th century.