The Abdelhafid Palace (also known as the Moulay Hafid Palace or Palace of the Italian Institutions) is a historic building located at 23, rue Mohammed Ben Abedelouhab in the Hasnouna neighborhood of Tangier, Morocco. It was constructed in 1912–1913 as the intended retirement residence of Sultan Abdelhafid (Moulay Hafid) following his abdication, but he never lived there.
Background
The property on which the palace stands was originally the site of the Belgian legation in Tangier, established in the late 19th century by Belgium's first consul, Ernest Daulin, and surrounded by a large garden. It was later purchased by Abraham Sicsu, a member of the local Jewish community who had worked as a translator for Daulin and subsequently became Belgian consul himself.
Construction and Intended Purpose
After Sultan Abdelhafid signed the Treaty of Fes on 30 March 1912, which established the French protectorate over Morocco, French Resident-General Hubert Lyautey negotiated his abdication in August 1912 in exchange for a substantial pension. Abdelhafid used part of these funds to finance the construction of a palace in Tangier, which he intended as his main retirement residence. He acquired the former Belgian legation property from Abraham Sicsu and had the existing legation building demolished.
The palace was designed by Diego Jimenez Armstrong, a Paris-trained architect who also designed Tangier's Gran Teatro Cervantes. It was built in 1913 using reinforced concrete, with ornate fittings in precious stone and woodwork.
Abandonment
The former sultan never inhabited the palace. After his abdication, he departed Morocco immediately, stayed for a time in France, and then took up residence in Spain rather than returning to Tangier. During World War I, his pro-German associations led Lyautey to order the confiscation of his Moroccan properties in 1918. The protectorate authorities sold the Tangier palace at a government auction, which was won by the Paquet shipping company of Marseille (a predecessor of the Chargeurs group). Paquet kept the building unused for nearly a decade. Consequently, the palace remained empty from its completion in 1913 until its purchase by Italian interests in 1927.
Italian Period
In January 1927, the National Association for Succour of Italian Missionaries (Associazione Nazionale per Soccorrere i Missionari Italiani, ANSMI), acting as a front for the Italian government, purchased the Abdelhafid Palace from the Paquet company. In line with Fascist practice, the property was renamed Palazzo Littorio. It soon housed several educational institutions, a small hospital, and was later complemented by a radiotelegraphic station and a small post office in the 1930s.
In 1943, the Badoglio government had it renamed Casa d'Italia, and a few years later it became known as the Palace of the Italian Institutions. A Catholic church dedicated to Saint Francis was built on the western side of the property for Franciscan monks in 1939–1940, replacing a smaller chapel from 1927.
Later History
The complex's boarding schools for boys and girls closed after World War II, while other schools remained in operation until 1987. The hospital continued to function and has more recently been managed by Franciscan nuns under the aegis of ANSMI. Other recent occupants have included the Dante Alighieri Society and the Casa d'Italia restaurant.
A foundation was established in 2010 to manage the parts of the palace other than the hospital, named after Elisa Chimenti, the Italian educator who founded the first Italian school in Tangier in 1914. The palace has hosted cultural events including the Tangier International Book Fair, the Mediterranean Nights Festival, and the Tanjazz music festival. Although renovated in the early 2000s, the building has long remained underutilized.
