Bab Al Bahr

Bab al Bahr, or the Gate of the Sea, stands as a heavy stone archway piercing the thick defensive walls of the Tangier medina. It faces directly toward the harbor and the Strait of Gibraltar. For centuries, this portal served as the primary threshold between the walled city and the ships arriving from Europe. In eighteen forty-four, the French navy bombarded Tangier, and cannonballs struck the masonry here, leaving pockmarks that remain visible in the rock face to this day.