Spartel lighthouse
Morocco's oldest.
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A high rocky headland at the Atlantic entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, about twelve kilometres west of Tangier, the north-westernmost point of the African continent and the place where Atlantic and Mediterranean waters meet. Under international law, the longitude of its lighthouse marks the western limit of the Mediterranean. On the cape stands the Cape Spartel Lighthouse, one of the largest lighthouses in Africa and the oldest in Morocco, built in the 1860s and long run by a commission of Western powers. Around it, a building with a Moroccan courtyard and arcades has become a museum of lighthouses and maritime signalling, set in a botanical garden of old olive, palm and eucalyptus trees. From the edge of the cape there is a wide view over the Atlantic and the strait, and visitors gather at sunset to watch the sun sink into the ocean; the Rmilat forest, Achakar beach and the Caves of Hercules are close by. The park ticket costs twenty-five dirhams, and the museum, park and lighthouse climb fifty dirhams according to the official website; it opens daily from half past eight in the morning. There is a café and restaurant with sea views on site.
Morocco's oldest.
Signals and lenses.
From the cape's edge.
About twelve kilometres west of Tangier, at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar
No, it is the north-westernmost; the continent's northernmost point is a cape in Tunisia, but Spartel overlooks the meeting of the Atlantic and Mediterranean.