Place 9 Avril 1947, named for the date of a speech given my King Mohamed V gave there in Tangier, is a major public square that was originally just a large unpaved square just outside the old medina on which the market was held twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. Major public festivals were also held on the square, and it was a gathering place for story-tellers, performers, and peddlers of various kinds. Gradually as the city grew, the grocery market activity moved into a permanent 7 day a week covered market on the east of the Square. Other buying and selling moved into permanent stalls on Rue de Portugal and Rue de Angleterre.
The circle began to serve as little more than a large traffic circle. In the mid 20th century the square was renovated, and now features a large fountain, benches and grass patches. Recently the street on west side of the square was closed to traffic to make the square more pedestrian friendly.
SOURCES:
Guiguet-Bologne, Philippe. Un guide de Tanger et de sa région. Tangier: Philip Guiguet Bologne, 1996.
Roca, Juan, Ramon. Tangier and its surroundings. Alicante, Spain: Roca Vincente-Franquiera, 2011.
