Morocco police block launch of rapper's new album

Police disrupted the launch of a new album by rapper Mouad Belghouat, an outspoken voice of Morocco's February 20 pro-reform movement who spent a year in jail, witnesses said.
Belghouat, released from prison last year after serving a one-year sentence for defaming the police in his songs, had planned to present his album Walou (Nothing) at the Karama bookshop in Casablanca on 13 February.

But dozens of police were deployed nearby, and shortly before the event they ordered the bookshop shut, said Abdou Berrada, one of the organisers.

"They then told those who had come for the launch to leave," he added.

The interior ministry declined to comment on the incident.

"This ban proves once again that the authorities are determined to prevent politically engaged artists from expressing themselves," Belghouat said.

He said the album, his first since being released from jail, had taken him a lot of time and effort.

The rapper, who goes by the rap name Al-Haqed (The Rancorous), is known for writing songs critical of Morocco's monarchy and political establishment.

He became a public face of the February 20 movement which was born out of the Arab Spring protests sweeping the region in 2011 and demanded extensive reforms in Morocco.

He was convicted in March 2012 over a song he wrote called Dogs of the State, which denounced police corruption and was deemed an affront to Morocco's entire police force.

While in prison, he was awarded an "integrity" prize by Transparency Morocco, for his "honesty and the justice of his fight" for a better society.

CAVES OF HERCULES REVIEW



Five kilometers (3 mi) south of the cape are the so-called Caves of Hercules are a popular and harmless tourist attraction tied to the region's relationship with the mythical hero, who was said to rest here after his famous labors. Inhabited in prehistoric times, the caves were used more recently to cut millstones, hence the hundreds of round indentations on their walls and ceiling otherwise attributed to Hercules' clawing fingers. The caves are known for their windowlike opening in the shape of the African continent, through which the surf comes crashing into the lagoon and lower cave. Here you can buy souvenirs and have a camel ride in the parking lot.

EXPLORE TANGIER, TETOUAN AND THE NORTHWEST
Tangier
The Caves of Hercules
East of Tangier
Asilah
Larache
Ancient Lixus
Ksar el Kebir
Moulay Bousselham
Ceuta
Tetouan
The Tetouan coast: Fnideq to Oued Laou
Chefchaouen
Ouezzane
The Caves of Hercules (Les Grottes d’Hercule) are something of a symbol for Tangier, with their strange sea window, shaped like a map of Africa. The name, like Hercules’ legendary founding of Tangier, is purely fanciful, but the caves, 16km outside the city and above the Atlantic beach, make an attractive excursion. If you feel like staying for a few days by the sea, the beach can be a pleasant base, too; outside of July and August only stray groups of visitors share the long surf beaches. Take care with currents, however, which can be very dangerous even near the shore.

Africa’s most northwesterly promontory, Cap Spartel, is a dramatic and fertile point, and was known to the Greeks and Romans as the “Cape of the Vines”. You can visit the lighthouse and sometimes, if the keeper is around, enter and climb it.

To the south of Cap Spartel begins the vast and wild Atlantic, known locally as Robinson Plage. It is broken only by a rocky spit, 5km from the Cape, which is home to the Caves of Hercules. Natural formations, which were occupied in prehistoric times, the caves are most striking for a man-made addition – thousands of disc-shaped erosions created by centuries of quarrying for millstones. There were still people cutting stones here for a living until the 1920s, but by that time their place was beginning to be taken by professional guides and discreet sex hustlers; it must have made an exotic brothel.



Read more: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/africa/morocco/tangier-tetouan-northwest/caves-hercules/#ixzz2txjvkXT7

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Visiting the Caves of Hercules in Tangier, Morocco

This is one of the TOP TEN places to visit in Tangier, Morocco.

The caves of Hercules, located just 14 km west of Tangier, are a place of stunning natural beauty and great archeological significance.

The mouths of the caves open up onto the Atlantic and are flooded at high tide. When the tide comes in, water gushes up through these massive holes in the ground and hillside. It’s very impressive.The caves are partly man-made and partly natural.  At low tide, the views inside caves looking out over the ocean are stunning, the colours in particular. The blue Atlantic Ocean and sky above resemble a reverse silhouette of Africa.

Also, the Cave of Hercules has a bit of notoriety. On October 23, 1995, British rock group Def Leppard played a concert in the cave



I can totally relate with you. We have two young kids of our own and have done so much public transportation. It always ends up with a crazy story with our kids. Life is quite an adventure here. I’m glad you enjoyed your first visit – we’re having a blast here!

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The Caves of Hercules, Tangiers, Morroco, Africa.


The caves of Hercules, located just 14kms west of Tangiers, are a place of stunning natural beauty and great archeological significance.
The caves of Hercules
Apparently, this is where the mythical figure, Hercules, used to rest after finishing his 12 labours.

The mouths of the caves open up onto the Atlantic and are flooded at high tide. When the tide comes in, water gushes up through these massive holes in the ground and hillside. It's very impressive.

The caves are partly man-made and partly natural. It's not exactly sure how the caves were created. It's believed that for some reason, an ancient civilization used to carve millstones out of the solid rock that caused giant caves to form over the years. How these primitive people managed to cut into solid rock with simple and crude tools is still a mystery.
The caves of Hercules

At low tide, the views inside caves looking out over the ocean are stunning, the colours in particular. The blue Atlantic Ocean and sky above resemble a reverse silhouette of Africa.

Swimming here can be quite dangerous. The currents offshore can get very strong. If you're not a strong swimmer, it's best to stick to sunbathing.

Some people say that the caves were once joined under the sea to St Michaels caves on the rock of Gibraltar and that this is "possibly" how the Barbary Apes crossed over. But nobody knows for sure. This coastline is also where the pirates of the region were once headquartered.

Also well worth a visit is the old 2nd and 3rd century Roman ruins of Cotta. They're just 500 feet away.

The Caves of Hercules, Tangiers, Morroco, Africa.
The Caves of Hercules, Tangiers, Morroco, Africa.

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Grottoes of Hercules - Historic Tale Told in these Tangier Caves

The city of Tangier in Morocco is situated on the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar on the North African coast. This city, which went through a period of relative obscurity, has been experiencing an increase in tourism once more. Its close proximity to Europe makes it easily accessible to tourists who want to experience the mystical beauty of this North African city.
Tangier Caves
According to Berber mythology, the City of Tangier was built by Sufax who was the son of Tinjis, the wife of the Berber hero Antaios. There are also stories of Tangier being founded by the Greek demi-god, Hercules.

The Grottoes of Hercules (also known as the Caves of Hercules) are situated 14 km west of the city of Tangier. This cave is a significant tourist attraction - something which often has a lot to do with its association with Greek mythology. Hercules is believed to have slept in these grottoes before attempting one of 12 labors. These 12 labors were given to him by King Eurystheus of Tiryns and took Hercules 12 years to complete. Hercules traveled all over in order to complete these tasks. What were they?

Different ancient poets have given accounts of Hercules’s labors, so the details of how they were accomplished have slight variations. But the tasks themselves were: Kill the Nemean Lion; Kill the Lernean Hydra; Capture the Cerynian Hind; Capture the Erymanthian Boar; Clean the Augean Stables; Kill the Stymphalian Birds; Capture the Cretan Bull; Capture the Horses of Diomedes; Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte; Capture the Cattle of Geryon; Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides; and Capture Cerberus. Certainly no easy tasks there! Take for example the task of killing the Lernean Hydra. This was an evil, snakelike creature that had nine heads. If one head was injured, two would grow in its place. Hercules overcame this difficulty by quickly slicing off all the heads, while his charioteer, Iolaus, sealed the wounds with a torch. Hercules then used the blood of the Lernean Hydra to poison the tips of his arrows, which were later used in the task of killing the Stymphalian Birds. No wonder he needed somewhere quiet to rest!

The Grottoes of Hercules
The Grottoes of Hercules are of archeological, historical and mythological significance, as well as great beauty. Clearly, anyone taking a trip to the city of Tangier should make a point of visiting the Grottoes of Hercules.




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Caves of Hercules, Tanger

Caves of Hercules, Tanger

The Caves of Hercules is one of the most popular tourist attractions near Tangier and is located 14 kilometres west of Tangier in Cape Spartel, near the summer palace of the King of Morocco. The cave has two openings, one to sea and one to land.
Caves of Hercules, Tanger

The Caves of Hercules (Les Grottes d’Hercule) are something of a symbol for Tangier, with their strange sea window, shaped like a map of Africa. The name, like Hercules’ legendary founding of Tangier, is purely fanciful, but the caves, 16km outside the city and above the Atlantic beach, make an attractive excursion. If you feel like staying for a few days by the sea, the beach can be a pleasant base, too; outside of July and August only stray groups of visitors share the long surf beaches. Take care with currents, however, which can be very dangerous even near the shore.

Africa’s most northwesterly promontory, Cap Spartel, is a dramatic and fertile point, and was known to the Greeks and Romans as the “Cape of the Vines”. You can visit the lighthouse and sometimes, if the keeper is around, enter and climb it.

To the south of Cap Spartel begins the vast and wild Atlantic, known locally as Robinson Plage. It is broken only by a rocky spit, 5km from the Cape, which is home to the Caves of Hercules. Natural formations, which were occupied in prehistoric times, the caves are most striking for a man-made addition – thousands of disc-shaped erosions created by centuries of quarrying for millstones. There were still people cutting stones here for a living until the 1920s, but by that time their place was beginning to be taken by professional guides and discreet sex hustlers; it must have made an exotic brothel.




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