Rabat–Tangier expressway in 2002. In July 2005, 12 years after the start of construction, the totality of the axis was completed. The axis technically comprises also the Rabat bypass, although it does not conform with motorway regulations. Before its opening in 1997, getting to the origin of the road was a hard task for traffic coming from Casablanca, as the centre of Rabat had to be crossed. In 2007 the toll-revenues for this road totaled 269 million dirhams (2006: 212 MDh), taking 2nd place in list of "top earners" in Morocco (Figure includes sections Tangier-RN2 and Tétouan - M'diq). <br> Figures regarding
English Tangier on the north-western coast of Africa. The Portuguese started their colonial empire by taking nearby Ceuta in 1415. Years of conflict between Portugal and the Moroccans under the Wattasid and Saadi dynasties followed. In 1471, they stormed Asilah to the west and threw Tangier into such chaos that they were able to occupy it completely unopposed. By 1657, the position had changed. The Saadi dynasty steadily lost control of the country to various warlords and finally came to an end with the death of Ahmad al-Abbas. The main warlord around Tangier was Khadir Ghaïlan (known to the English of the