King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia arrived in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier on Monday around 6 p.m., for a month long stay.
Arriving at Tangier’s Ibn Battuta airport from Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi King was greeted by head of government Saadeddine El Othmani and the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima’s region Wali, Mohamed El Yakoubi.
Regional president Ilyas El Omari and Tangier mayor Bashir Abdellaoui were also present, as were the Moroccan ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abdeslam Baraka, and the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Morocco, Abdulaziz bin Moyheddin Khoja.
It has been reported that 924 rooms have been reserved across the city’s most prestigious hotels for the Saudi King’s delegation, while 453 cars have come from Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech for their use.
On July 19, a plane arrived at Tangier’s airport carrying 143 staff to serve the delegation.
Located in Jbila near Achkar beach, King Salman’s residence is grown and renovated each year. It has space for helicopters to land, and all furniture is Italian-made.
For security, surveillance cameras have been installed near the residence, as well as on the beaches in the area.
While the 81-year old Saudi King is in Tangier, his 32-year old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will rule in Saudi Arabia, reported the country’s official press agency, Spa. He will “manage the affairs of the state and defend the interests of the people.”
This is the first time Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has officially assumed the role, since he replaced his 57-year old cousin Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in June.
