Lighthouses of Morocco: Atlantic Coast

Morocco occupies the northwestern corner of Africa, across the Strait of Gibralter from Spain. During most of the nineteenth century, France, Spain, and other European countries maneuvered to gain control of the country. In 1912 it was finally divided; France assumed a protectorate over most of the country but Spain controlled the northern coast and portions of the south. In 1923 Tanger (Tangier) was removed from the Spanish sector to become an international zone. Morocco resumed its independence in 1956, but Spain continues to control the northern cities of Ceuta and Melilla and several small islands off the Mediterranean coast.

For lighthouse fans, the implication of this history is that Morocco's lighthouse heritage is partly Spanish and partly French. The French zone of influence extends from Mehdia to Agadir, with Spanish influence to the north and south. However, the design of lighthouses in all parts of the country shows a strong native Moroccan style.

This page includes lighthouses of Morocco's west coast, facing the Atlantic Ocean. There is a separate page for the Mediterranean Coast, and there are also separate pages for the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

Included on this page are the lighthouses of Western Sahara. Western Sahara is the former Spanish Sahara, a large, lightly populated desert territory in the south of Morocco and northwest of Mauritania. When Spain pulled out of its colony in 1976, the territory was occupied by troops from Morocco and Mauretania. The Mauritanians withdrew in 1979, and since that time Morocco has occupied most of Western Sahara (including all of the coast except a very short section at the southern end). This occupation has not been recognized internationally. In the listing, the lighthouses of the Dakhla and Boujdour regions are in the disputed territory.

Lighthouses in Morocco are operated by the Ministère de l'Équipement and des Transports (MTP).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volumes D and E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.

General Sources
Signalisation maritime
List of lights maintained by the Ministère de l'Équipement and des Transports (MTP).
Phares du Maroc
A page of small photos posted on the MTP web site.
Faros del Norte de Africa
Data and photos posted by Agustín Solabre Suárez on his Libro de Faros web site.
Online List of Lights - Morocco
Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas.
Lighthouses in Morocco
Photos available from Wikimedia.
Phares d'Afrique
Photos by various photographers posted by Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller.
Afrikanische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.

Rabat Light
Rabat Light, Rabat, March 2008
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Remi Jouan

Dakhla (Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira) Region Lighthouses
Note: Dakhla, called Villa Cisneros under the Spanish, is a city of about 55,000 inhabitants. Dakhla stands near the end of a long sandy peninsula enclosing the estuary of Oued ed-Dahab (Río de Oro), one of the few good harbors along the Saharan coast.
* Punta Güera (La Agüera, La Gouira)
Date unknown. Presumably inactive; listed with focal plane 14 m (46 ft); red flash every 5 s. 6 m (20 ft) square stone tower with gallery, unpainted. Ruins of a Spanish fort surround the the rear of the lighthouse. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is located on a promontory on the west side of the Cabo Blanco (Cap Blanc or Ra's Nouâdhibou) peninsula. This area is not under Moroccan control; under the 1991 cease fire agreement it is in the area controlled by the Polarisaio Front. The pre-1975 international border between Western Sahara and Mauritania runs down the length of the peninsula, and there is a historic French lighthouse at the tip (see the Mauritania page). Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D2976; NGA 24336.
Cap Barbas
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 40 m (131 ft) round cylindrical tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. The lighthouse is very similar to the El Cabiño lighthouse (see below). Located on a bluff at the point of the cape about 225 km (140 mi) south southwest of Dakhla. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-004; Admiralty D2975.6; NGA 24332.
Bahía de Angra de Cintra (Pointe Cintra)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); four white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal masonry tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland at the northern entrance to the bay, about 100 km (60 mi) south of Dakhla. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-002; Admiralty D2975; NGA 24320.
Punta Galera (La Sarga, Punta Durnford)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 6 m (20 ft) square castellated tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the southeastern tip of the Dakhla peninsula, marking the entrance to the estuary of Oued ed-Dahab (Río de Oro). Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-008; Admiralty D2973; NGA 24316.
** Dakhla (Arciprés Grande, Villa Cisneros) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); white flash every 5 s. 50 m (164 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is white concrete painted with narrow black horizontal bands; the lantern and gallery are black. Miguel Jaramillo's photo is at right, Francesc Balagué has a distant view from the sea, Lighthouse Explorer has a good photo contributed by Michel Forand, and Google has a good satellite view. Dakhla stands near the end of a long sandy peninsula enclosing the estuary of Oued ed-Dahab (Río de Oro). Located on a headland of the peninsula a short distance northwest of Dakhla. Site open; the tower is apparently open for climbing. ARLHS WSA-001; Admiralty D2972; NGA 24308.
** Dakhla (Arciprés Grande, Villa Cisneros) (1)
Date unknown (1920s?). Inactive. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical rubblestone tower attached to one corner of a Spanish fort. A good photo is available. Although the fort may have been built in 1884 as some sources claim, there does not seem to have a lighthouse prior to 1920 at least. An undated aerial photo shows the lighthouse attached to what was then a 2-story structure. Located next to the historic lighthouse.
Dakhla Light
Dakhla Light, Dakhla, July 2008
Panoramio photo copyright Miguel Jaramillo
used by permission

Boujdour Region Lighthouses
Peña Grande
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 173 m (568 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 11 m (36 ft) round tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Keeper's house, probably in ruins. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is not on the MTP list of active lights. Located on heights above a prominent cape about halfway between Boujdour and Dakhla. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-006; Admiralty D2631; NGA 24304.
Punta del Corral
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 71 m (233 ft); two white flashes every 9 s. 11 m (36 ft) round tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is not on the MTP list of active lights. Located atop a steep bluff about 65 km (40 mi) south of Boujdour. Site status unknown. ARLHS WSA-007; Admiralty D2630; NGA 24300.
* Ras Boujdour West End
Date unknown. Inactive, although still listed. 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal rubblestone tower, unpainted. The tower carried a red light, flashing once every 5 s at a focal plane of 9 m (30 ft). However, a 2007 photo shows no light, and this lighthouse is not on the MTP list of active lights. Another photo shows the partially ruined rear of the tower, and Google has a satellite view. Cape Bojador (Ra's Bujadur), one of the most prominent capes along the northwest African coast, represented the end of the known world for Europeans until the Portuguese navigator Gil Eanes sailed beyond it in 1434. It's quite possible that this tower was built as a memorial of Gil Eanes's voyage, as the photographer suggests. Located on the beach at the point of the cape. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D2628.2; NGA 24296.
* Ras Boujdour (Cabo Bojador)
Date unknown (station established 1903). Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 45 m (148 ft) octagonal masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a large 1- and 2-story keeper's house. The lighthouse is unpainted; although NGA mentions a "black stripe," this is really darker stone placed along the angles of the tower. Rui Ornelas's photo is at right, a more distant view and an older photo are also available, and Google has a satellite view. There is a report that the lighthouse is adjacent to a Moroccan Army base, and visitors should ask permission to view it closeup or photograph it. Located near the center of the town of Boujdour. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WSA-003; Admiralty D2628; NGA 24292.

Ra's Boujdour (Cabo Bojador) Light, Boujdour, February 2002
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Rui Ornelas
El Cabiño
Date unknown (clearly modern). Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 32 m (105 ft) round cylindrical conical tower with lantern. The tower is white concrete painted with narrow black horizontal bands. 2-story crew quarters building. Rui Ornelas's photo is at right, and Google has a satellite view. Pedro Pedrero has a photo taken in 1972-73; the crew quarters building had not been built at that time. Endangered: the lighthouse is close to the water and part of the surrounding wall has disappeared into the surf. Fortunately there is little danger of severe storms on this desert coast. Located on a prominent but misleading cape ("Faux Cap Bojador") about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Boujdour. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WSA-005; Admiralty D2626; NGA 24288.

Tan-Tan Province Lighthouses
* Tarfaya (Cabo Juby) (2)
Date unknown (around 1960?). Active; focal plane unknown; two white flashes every 10 s. 13 m (42 ft) round masonry tower; the light is displayed from a mast atop the tower. Tower unpainted. MTP has a photo (first row, first photo), and Google has a satellite view. This appears to be an old tower, possibly not built as a lighthouse, on which a modern light has been installed. There was an earlier light, listed in the 1940s as being at a corner of the Casa Mar. Cabo Juby is a prominent cape, the closest point of the mainland to the Canary Islands. Spain took control of this area, known more recently as the Tarfaya Strip, in 1916 and held it until 1958. Tarfaya was called Villa Bens under Spanish rule. Located on the cape in the town of Tarfaya. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-038; Admiralty D2619; NGA 23270.
El Cabiño Light
El Cabiño Light, Boujdour, February 2002
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Rui Ornelas
El Ouatia (Cabo Nachtigal, Tan-Tan-Plage)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); white flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) tower, painted red with a white band. No photo available, but a Google satellite view probably shows the tower. El Ouatia (Tan-Tan-Plage) is a small coastal settlement in the Tarfaya Strip. This is probably a modern light built by Morocco after it assumed administration of the area. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-016; Admiralty D2617; NGA 23264.
Cap Drâa
About 2000. Active; focal plane 85 m (279 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) tower, described by NGA as a "metal pylon" with black and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google's satellite view reveals a square cylindrical skeletal tower, presumably the lighthouse. The Cap Drâa area is the site of NATO training exercises, and the offshore area has been opened to oil exploration. Located in a desolate area about 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Tan-Tan-Plage. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-041; Admiralty D2616.6; NGA 23260.

Agadir Region Lighthouses
* Sidi Ifni (2)
1949 (station established 1936?). Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); four white flashes, in a 1+3 pattern, every 30 s. 13 m (43 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story building. Lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is black. Tony Kerr's photo is at right, Viktor Kaposi has a closeup photo, Trabas has a photo by Capt. Peter Mosselberger, Miguel Jaramillo has a good photo, a 2009 photo and another photo are available, and MTP has an older photo (last row, first photo) showing the lighthouse as unpainted light brown stone with darker brown trim. The lighthouse is centered in a Google satellite view. Morocco ceded Ifni and the surrounding area to Spain in 1859, but there was little Spanish settlement there until 1934, when the town was established as the residence of the governor of Spanish Sahara (now called Western Sahara). After Morocco resumed independence in 1956, Ifni remained Spanish until 1969, when Spain agreed to return the territory. The town sits on a plateau above the sea and a small harbor. Located atop the plateau in the center of town, just off the former Plaza de España, now the Place Hassan II. Site open, tower closed as far as is known. ARLHS MOR-012; Admiralty D2616; NGA 23256.
Sidi Ifni Light
Sidi Ifni Light, Ifni, January 2010
Flickr photo copyright Tony Kerr; used by permission
Agadir Grande Jetée (Jetée Ouest)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); red light occulting twice every 6 s. 7 m (23 ft) square tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands according to NGA. Fog horn (two 2 s blasts every 30 s). The tower appears to be all red in a distant view. Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse marks the entrance to the most important port of southern Morocco. This is undoubtedly a modern light; the city of Agadir was flattened by a great earthquake on 29 February 1960, and it has been rebuilt entirely since then. Located at the end of the west breakwater. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-040; Admiralty D2611; NGA 23244.
* Cap Rhir (Cap Ghir)
1932. Active; focal plane 85 m (279 ft); white flash every 5 s. 41 m (135 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white; lantern roof is unpainted metallic. 1-story keeper's houses and other buildings within a walled enclosure. Jorge Díaz's photo is at right, Cesar Entrena has a good photo, MTP has a photo (first row, third photo), and Google has a good satellite view. This lighthouse marks one of the most prominent capes of the Morocco's Atlantic coast. Located atop the cape, beside the main coastal highway (N1) about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Agadir. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-005; Admiralty D2608; NGA 23236.

Essaouira Province Lighthouses
Cap Sim
Early 1920s. Active; focal plane 103 m (338 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 20 m (66 ft) square stone tower with lantern and gallery, rising in the center of a fort. Lighthouse painted green with narrow white horizontal bands. A closeup and a view from the beach are available, and Google has a good satellite view. Located on a cape about 20 km (13 mi) south of Essaouira. Site open but reported difficult to reach, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-019; Admiralty D2604; NGA 23232.
* Sidi Magdul (Sidi Megdoul, Mogador, Essaouira)
1903. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white, red, or green light, depending on direction, occulting every 4 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white with gold trim; lantern painted black. Joe Katrencik has an excellent 2008 photo, another photo is available, MTP also has a photo (fourth row, first photo), Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located beside highway 207 on the south end of the harbor at Essaouira. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-036; Admiralty D2602; NGA 23216.
Cap Hadid
2007. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a headland about 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Essaouira. Site status unknown. Admiralty D2601; NGA 23214.
Cap Rhir Light
Cap Rhir Light, Agadir, August 2006
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Jorge Díaz

Safi Province Lighthouses
Safi Môle des Phosphates
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white light occulting twice every 6 s. 27 m (89 ft) square tower rising from a waterfront building. A photo of the port and a Google satellite view show the building. Located on a pier in Safi. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-046; Admiralty D2600; NGA 23208.
Safi (Pointe de la Tour)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 90 m (295 ft); white light occulting four times every 12 s. 12 m (39 ft) "yellow square tower" rising from one end of a keeper's house. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located atop a prominent headland about 6 km (4 mi) northwest of Safi. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-031; Admiralty D2595; NGA 23180.
* Cap Beddouza (Cap Cantin)
1916. Active; focal plane 65 m (213 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 19 m (62 ft) square stone tower with lantern and gallery, located in the center of a large square fort. Fort and lighthouse painted white; the lighthouse and the other towers of the fort also have green horizontal bands. Jean-Marc Favre has a fine 2007 photo, Juan Garzon has a photo, another photo is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The area is accessible by road (highway 301). Located on a very prominent cape about 50 km (30 mi) north of Safi. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-014; Admiralty D2592; NGA 23176.

El Jadida Province Lighthouses
Jorf Lasfar (Cap Blanc)
Date unknown (about 1980?). Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white or red light depending on direction, 4.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 16 m (52 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with a small lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white. Yamal Elkhalladi has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Jorf Lasfar is a modern industrial port first developed about 1980; phosphate is exported and coal is imported for a huge power plant that produces 60% of the country's electricity. Located on a headland about 24 km (14 mi) southwest of El Jadida. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-020; Admiralty D2590; NGA 23160.
* Sidi Daoui
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) concrete tower with a flared top, painted with black and white horizontal bands and protected by a square concrete enclosure. A 2011 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the beach on the northernmost point of land in El Jadida. Site status unknown, but probably open; tower closed. Admiralty D2587.5; NGA 23150.
* Sidi Bou Afi
1916. Active; focal plane 65 m (213 ft); white flash every 5 s. 46 m (151 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white, lantern black; masonry gallery is unpainted dark stone. Mustafa Ennaimi's photo is at right, a 2007 photo is available, Mustapha Ennaimi has a 2008 closeup, MTP has a photo (fourth row, fourth photo), Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse is a fine example of French lighthouse design. Located just off the main highway (route 301) near the western edge of El Jadida. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-011; Admiralty D2588; NGA 23144.
Sidi Mesbah
1919. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); white or red light depending on direction, occulting twice every 6 s. 18 m (59 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern is green. MTP has a small photo (third row, third photo), and Google has a satellite view. Located about 6.5 km (4 mi) east of El Jadida; there should be a view from the A-5 expressway to the south. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-037; Admiralty D2584; NGA 23148.
Sidi Boubker (Pointe d'Azemmour)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white or red depending on direction. 14 m (46 ft) white tower. No photo available; Google's satellite view of the listed location does not show the tower. Located on a headland near Azemmour, about 30 km (19 mi) northeast of El Jadida. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-029; Admiralty D2582; NGA 23140.
Sidi Bou Afi Light
Sidi Bou Afi Light, El Jadida, September 2008
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Mustafa Ennaimi

Casablanca Region Lighthouses
* El Hank (Casablanca, Dar-el-Beida)
1919. Active; focal plane 65 m (213 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 49 m (161 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery. A 2nd order Fresnel lens is in use. Entire lighthouse painted white. A photo is at right, Trabas has a photo by Douglas Cameron, a 2009 photo is available, Wikimedia has several photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. A September 2005 photo by Dan McLean shows the lighthouse painted with elaborate designs, but the March 2006 photo at right shows it returned to all white. Morocco's tallest traditional lighthouse and the landfall light for Casablanca, located on a headland at the western edge of the city. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-006; Admiralty D2574; NGA 23132.
* Roches-Noires
1919. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white or red light, depending on direction, occulting once every 4 s. 19 m (62 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern is red. No current photo available, but Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Although this lighthouse is not in a tourist area, it is close to major streets and the absence of recent photos is surprising. Located to the east of Casablanca harbor, separated from the water by a rail yard. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-010; Admiralty D2567; NGA 23100.
* Oukacha
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); two very quick flashes every 2 s; also a continuous red light at a focal plane of 24 m (79 ft) shown over a sector the west. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern is dark red. Trabas has Helmut Seger's view from the sea, MTP also has a photo (last row, third photo), a distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a rocky promontory in the eastern part of Casablanca (Dar el-Beida). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-030; Admiralty D2566; NGA 23096.
Cap de Fédala (Cap Mohammédia)
Date unknown. Inactive. 27 m (89 ft) octagonal tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is described as yellow but it appears to be unpainted white concrete; lantern painted green. A distant view is available, and the lighthouse is centered in a Google satellite view. This light has been dropped from the MTP and NGA Lists. Located in an industrial area of the harbor of Mohammédia (called Fédala until it was renamed for King Mohammed V in 1960), about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Casablanca (Dar el-Beida). Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-001; ex-Admiralty D2558; NGA 23052.
El Hank Light
El Hank Light, Casablanca, March 2006
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Milamber's portfolio

Rabat Region Lighthouse
* Rabat (Fort de la Calette)
1920. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white light occulting twice every 6 s. 24 m (79 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery. NGA describes the tower as being yellow with a black lantern, but Remi Jouan's 2008 photo (at the top of this page) and all other recent photos show it painted all white. A 2010 photo is available, Guyomard and Carceller have a good photo by Jean Besnard, Matt Ravier has a more distant view, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located just behind the beach near Salé about 3 km (2 mi) north of the center of Rabat, Morocco's capital city. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-007; Admiralty D2554; NGA 23036.

Kénitra Region Lighthouse
* Mehdya (Mehdia) Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 74 m (243 ft); white light occulting three times every 12 s. 9 m (29 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. NGA describes the tower as being red, but MTP's photo (fifth row, second photo) shows it green with white trim and a white lantern. Google has a satellite view (the lighthouse is the small tower centered in the view; the taller tower is a minaret). There is a signal station adjacent to the lighthouse. Mehdya is the port district of the Kénitra metropolitan area. Located on the south side of the Oued (river) Sebu entrance in Mehdia, about 35 km (22 mi) north of Rabat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-044; Admiralty D2540.1; NGA 22944.

Tanger Region Lighthouses
Note: See the Ceuta page for the Punta Almina lighthouse at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Larache Inner Bar Range Rear
Date unknown (1930s?). Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); continuous red light. 19 m (62 ft) "church tower," more likely a minaret. No further information available. The light may be mounted on the minaret of the central mosque of Larache; a photo of that tower is available. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-043; Admiralty D2526.1; NGA 22932.
* Punta Nador (El Araïch, Larache)
1919. Active; focal plane 80 m (262 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 44 m (144 ft) two-stage octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and two galleries, rising from a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with blue trim; lantern painted blue. The fisheries ministry with assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has built a maritime academy adjacent to the light station. A photo is at right, Guyomard and Carceller have a fine photo by Jean Besnard, a 2007 photo and a 2008 view are available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a good satellite view. Located on the south side of the entrance to the harbor at Larache (El Araïch). Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-009; Admiralty D2532; NGA 22912.
Larache Light
Punta Nador Light, Larache, May 2009
Panoramio photo copyright elakramine; permission requested
*** Cap Spartel (Cabo Espartel)
1864. Active; focal plane 95 m (312 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 24 m (79 ft) square masonry tower with castellated gallery, lantern, and 1st order Fresnel lens, attached to a 2-story keeper's house. Tower painted buff, the gallery is reddish, and the lantern is unpainted gray metal; the keeper's house is painted white. Fog horn (four blasts every 90 s). Saaleha Bamjee's photo is at right, Agustín Solabre Suárez also has a photo, another good photo and a 2009 view of the station are available, Guyomard and Carceller have a photo by Jean-Pierre Avenier, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. One of Africa's (and the world's) greatest lighthouses, marking the southeastern entrance to the Strait of Gibralter from the Atlantic, and thus the northwestern corner of Africa. In international law, the longitude of the Cape Spartel lighthouse (5°55'W) is recognized as the western boundary of the Mediterranean Sea. The lighthouse was built by Sultan Mohammed III and maintained during the colonial period by a consortium of western powers. Now one of Morocco's best-known tourist attractions, the light station is on the cape about 20 km (13 mi) west of Tanger. Site open, tower open by arrangement with the keepers. ARLHS MOR-003; Admiralty D2510; NGA 22896.
Tanger Outer Breakwater (2?)
2007 (?) . Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 16 m (52 ft) square skeletal tower. A 2009 photo is available, and the light is at the extreme right in Franco Lopez's 2008 photo. The skeletal tower replaced a concrete tower seen in a November 2006 photo. Google has an indistinct satellite view of the site. Located at the end of the Tanger breakwater. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-049; Admiralty D2502; NGA 22888.
* Le Charf (Monte Direccíon)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 88 m (289 ft); white, red, or green light, depending on direction, occulting three times every 12 s. 7 m (23 ft); light mounted on the roof of a white building. A photo of the Colline (hill) du Charf shows a white, 2-story building, near the summit, that probably carries the light. Located on the east side of the city of Tanger (Tangier). Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-024; Admiralty D2500; NGA 22880.
* Malabata (Pointe Malabata)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); white flash every 5 s. 18 m (59 ft) square cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story keeper's house. Building painted white; lantern roof is weathered gray. A blogger has a photo, Guyomard and Carceller have a good photo by Jean Besnard, Trabas has a view from the sea by Capt. Theo Hinrichs, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland about 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Tanger, at the eastern entrance to the Baie de Tanger from the Strait of Gibraltar. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MOR-032; Admiralty D2498; NGA 22872.
Cap Spartel Light
Cap Spartel Light, Tanger, July 2011
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Saaleha Bamjee
* Ras Ciress (Punta Cires, Pointe Cirès)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); white light occulting three times every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. No lantern; the light is displayed from a short mast. Trabas has a photo taken from the sea by Capt. Theo Hinrichs, MTP has a poor photo (first row, last photo), and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Punta Cires is at the narrowest point of the Strait of Gibraltar, and swimmers trying to swim the strait aim for this point from Tarifa, Spain. Located near Dalia about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of Tanger. Site status unknown. ARLHS MOR-051; Admiralty D2493; NGA 22864.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

  • Tanger (1883-?). ARLHS MOR-047.

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Ceuta | East: Mediterranean Coast | South: Mauritania | West: Canary Islands

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted August 18, 2005. Checked and revised October 1, 2012. Lighthouses: 41. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.