Tetouan also spelled Tetuán, city, in north-central Morocco. It lies along the Martil River (Wadi Martil), 7 miles (11 km) from the Mediterranean Sea.
The city stands on a rocky plateau detached from the southern flank of Mount Dersa. The Roman settlement of Tamuda stood immediately above the present-day city. Tétouan was inhabited in the 9th century by the Idrīsid dynasty and in the 14th century was fortified by the Marīnid dynasty. Its fortress became a corsair stronghold and was later destroyed by the Spanish. In the 16th century, Tétouan was populated by Moorish Andalusian refugees. Spanish troops captured it in 1860-with an army commanded by Leopoldo O’Donnell, Duque de Tetuán, and again in 1913. The city became the capital of Spanish Morocco, and Francisco Franco made it his headquarters. In 1956 it was returned to Morocco.
