The Mendoub or Mandub (, "delegate" or "representative") was a key official in the governance of the

Tangier International Zone The Tangier International Zone (; ; ) was a international zone centered on the city of Tangier, Morocco, which existed from 1925 until its reintegration into independent Morocco in 1956, with interruption during the Spanish occupation of Tang ...

between 1925 and 1956, with a wartime interruption from 1940 to 1945.

Overview

The Mendoub represented the symbolic authority of the

Sultan of Morocco This is a list of rulers of Morocco since 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used. The present King of Morocco is Mohammed VI of Morocco, Mohammed ...

in the International Zone even though its government was led by the separate , which brought together the main foreign powers. He was directly in charge of the affairs of the Muslim and Jewish communities which together formed the vast majority of Tangier's inhabitants. He also chaired the Zone's parliamentary assembly, a largely symbolic role since he did not have a vote. His autonomy was limited by close oversight by a French official, the , operating under the powerful in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

. Muhammad ben Abdelkrim at-Tazi Bu Ashran was the first Mendoub from the office's creation to his death in 1954. He stayed in Rabat while the Zone fell under Spanish occupation during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He had previously been the

Naib Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kings of Saxony to the Ge ...

, or Sultan's representative, to the foreign communities in Tangier, from 1913 to 1925. He was succeeded in 1954 by his son Ahmad at-Tazi, who held the role briefly until its termination in 1956.

Properties

The Mendoub's ceremonial office was installed in the former German consulate building, which had been confiscated after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and used by the Naib from January 1920. This property was subsequently known as the

Mendoubia The Mendoubia or Mandubiyya (, ) refers to the former ceremonial mansion of the Mendoub, the representative of the List of rulers of Morocco, Sultan of Morocco in the Tangier International Zone from 1924 to 1956 (with interruption during World W ...

. From 1929, the Mendoub resided in a palatial residence in the waterfront neighborhood of Marshan from which he proceeded to the Mendoubia in a colourful ceremonial, which became a tourist attraction. Also in the 1920s, a suburban property was built for the Mendoub in the hills above Rmilat to the west of Tangier. It later fell into disrepair before it was eventually purchased by

Katara Hospitality Katara Hospitality, formerly known as Qatar National Hotels Company, is the largest hotel owner, developer and operator in Qatar. It is government-owned. As of 2016, the company owns properties in Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Franc ...

. It was subsequently renovated on a design by OBMI/CCCRA Architects and integrated in a hotel development opened in November 2022 as Fairmont Tazi Palace Tangier.

References

History of Tangier Governors of Tangier 20th century in Morocco Gubernatorial titles {{Morocco-stub

Overview

Properties

See also

References