Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-02
MOROCCO CONFEREN CE
SOMETHING OF ALGECIRAS,
WHERE IT TAKES PLACE.



! By a strange decree of fate the Morocco
conference is being held at Algeciras. In
this city, where twelve centuries ago the
Moors began the conquest of Spain, Europe
Is now about to decide the fate of the last
Independent Moorish state.
While Algeciras is situated at the youth
ern extremity of Christian Spain. the coun-
try around it is for the greater part still
Moorish. The Strait of Gibraltar between
Spain and Morocco separates the two con-
tinents. but not two civilizations. On all
the heights surrounding Algeciras Moor
ish castles are still to be seen, and Moorish
| watch towers along the coasts. The neigh
boring Tarifa, the most southern city Of
Europe. has remained Moorish to this day,
with its strong walls and formidable
kasba, the exact counterpart of Tangier
on the opposite side of the strait. Even
Gibraltar, on the east side of the spacious
Bay of Algeciras, is still crowned by an
indestructible Moorish castle, which is now
being used by the English prison. The
people who inhabit the Iberian peninsula
are the direct descendants of the ancient
Moorish Inhabitants, and resemble the peo-
pie of Tangier, though they do not wear
the burnous and feZ, like their brethren
south of the strait.
The city of AlgeciraS is more modern
than any of the surrounding towns, though
one might expect to see castles and walls
and towers, and narrow streets with high,
gloomy buildings and grated windows. since
Algeciras is the oldest of all the Moorish
settlements. 1t was here that in III the
first Saracen army, under the brave one
eyed Tarik, first set foot on Spanish soil.
1t was the starting point of that remark
able expedition of conquest which has LETT
such wonderful monuments of architecture
in almost every city in Spain except at
AigeciraS
The inhabitants of Algecras still show
tla
first camp on the south bank of the little
River Mel, which passes through the city.
The town built by Tarik in lib and forti-
fled by his successors was in the course
of the centuries several times besieged and
captured, and finally, in 1:56S it was
tirely destroyed by Sultan Mahomed V of
Granada. On the green island at the mouth
of the Mel, which has given to the city
its Arabian name of Al-GeZra al-khadra,
there are only scant remnants of the old
town, and there would probably not be any
place at all where to hold the conference
on the west shore of the bay If the Eng
two centuries ago. When the English, in
17o4 had hoisted their flag on the rock of
Gibraltar, the proud Spanish inhabitants
of the town at it's feet would not remain
emigrated to Spanish soil. Some of them
settled at San Rogue, north of the Bay of
Algeciras, others turned to the opposite
shore of the bay and built the present town
and quiet streets.
There is very little commerce in the city
The only industry of note is that of stop
pers, manufactured out of the bark of
cork oaks, which are numerous in the sur
rounding forests There was little life in
this city of about twelve thousand inhabi-
tantS until recently, when the railroad 20
Granada was completed. Since then many
travellers, with their red Baedekers under
their arms, begin here their trip through
Andalusia The great German steamer
lines, the Hamburg-American and the
North German Lloyd, with their numerous
steamers landing at Gibraltar carry many
visitors to this part of Spain.
In addition to the unpretentlous older
hotels, magnificent carayansary of the
most modern type, the Hotel Rena Girls
tina, has recently been erected at Alge-
ciras. 1t stands directly opposite the land
ing place of the small Gibraltar steamers
ing point for the trains to Granada, SeYilla
and Madrid. This elegant, and correspond
ingly expensive, hotel is about the only at
traction which Algeciras has TO Offer in
addition to its mild. sunny winter climate
While the Morocco conference is being held
in the city hali-quite a large building-the
members of the conference will no doubt
be glad to find comfortable quarters at the
Hotel Reina Cristina.
Let us hope that the delegates of the
powers will succeed in putting an end to
the deplorabe conditions prevailing in the
country on the other side of the Strait Of
Gibraltar.