BROADCASTS.com

On May 17, 2021, the American Legation building in Tangier celebrates its bicentennial. A U.S. National Historical Landmark (NHL) since 1982, Sultan Moulay Suliman presented the building, now part of a larger complex, to the United States in 1821. The building is a powerful symbol of the long-standing and strong historical, cultural, and diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Morocco.  While it no longer serves a diplomatic purpose, it is still owned by the U.S. Government and is occupied by the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM), which comprises a museum, library, cultural and research center.  John Davison, TALIM’s director, discusses the history and importance of the building, both past and present, in this episode.

The building is the oldest continuously occupied U.S. diplomatic property in the world.  The relationship between the U.S. and Morocco is long and deep.  Sultan Mohammed III issued a decree opening Morocco’s ports to American ships in 1777, making Morocco one of the first countries to recognize the newly independent United States.  The Treaty of Peace and Friendship, signed by the U.S. and Morocco in 1786, is the longest unbroken treaty relationship in U.S. history.

It is the only NHL listing or designation in a foreign country, excluding those in countries that grew out of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.  NHLs are those that have been recognized by the Secretary of the Interior as possessing national significance: properties that help us understand our history.  All NHLs are part of the National Register of Historic Places, which is the official list of the nation's historic properties worthy of preservation. Landmarks constitute more than 2,500 of more than 90,000 entries in the National Register; the others are of state and local significance.  Both the NHL program and National Register of Historic Places are run by the National Park Service.

TALIM website: https://legation.org/

Virtual tour: https://legation.org/virtual-tour/

TALIM social media channels:
https://www.facebook.com/TangierAmericanLegation
https://www.instagram.com/tangieramericanlegation/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoWoGL8gO9n-Rjon-HYI2Jg

Outdoor Organization Feature:

Get Out Stay Out/Vamos Afuera is committed to increasing diversity and representation for people of color, especially indigenous youth, within the outdoor industry by ensuring they have opportunities to run, play, and discover themselves in the natural world.  Follow Get Out Stay Out on Instagram (@getout.stayout).  Please consider a donation to support their work - 100 percent of your donation will go to youth excursions: check out their website at vamosafuera.org.

Resources:

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-by-state.htm
Legation.org
https://savingplaces.org/stories/american-history-foreign-soil-tangier-american-legation-morocco#.YKBL5GYza3I

Photo courtesy of TALIM