Jump to content

Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tetuan

From Wikisource

See also Tétouan on Wikipedia; Tetuan in the 11th edition; and the disclaimer.

TETUAN (Teṭṭáwin), a town of Morocco, about 23 miles south-south-west from Ceuta and 44 south-east from Tangiers, is picturesquely situated about 9 miles inland on the steep slope of a hill, behind which rise the bold Rif Mountains. It is surrounded by walls flanked with towers, and has on the summit of the hill a castle which is the residence of the governor. The streets are narrow, unpaved, and dirty, and with few exceptions the houses are poor. Some of the numerous mosques, however, are handsome. The principal manufactures are gun-barrels, coarse woollen cloths, and woollen and silk sashes. The harbour of Tetuan, at the mouth of the Martil, allows only small vessels to cross the bar, and the roadstead is much exposed to the east. There is some export trade in cattle, grain, fruit, leather, and wool, principally to Gibraltar. The population of Tetuan is estimated at about 20,000 (5000 Jews).

Tetuan is said to have been founded in 1492 by refugees from Granada. It was taken by storm on 4th February 1860 by the Spaniards under O'Donnell, but restored to Morocco when peace was concluded.