On the north side of the Zocco Grande, now named Place 9 Avril 1947, to the west of Bab al-Fahs and rue d'Italie are the gates of the Mendoubia Palace. It was constructed prior to 1905, at which time it is known that the German Legation was located there. The large wooden doors on the square date to that period. When Tangier was an international city, the structure was the residence of the Mendub, or the Sultan's representative to the International Commission that governed Tangier. It was there that Sultan Muhammad V delivered his speech calling for independence on the 9 of April 1947 to crowds assembled in the Grand Socco. 

For this reason the Grand Socco was renamed Place 9 Avril 1947, and a large marble monument now commemorates the speech. It sits on a terrace behind the amphitheater seating, with a small grove of orange trees. At some point between 2018 and 2022, the terrace was fenced off from the rest of the garden.

After independence the palace served as financial courthouse, and the sprawling gardens were walled off from the public. Sometime after 2010 the gardens, including the small German cemetery, were renovated and opened to the public. Only the older, decorated, historic gates were maintained. Other walls were removed and playground facilities built. The facility now hosts occasional cultural events as well in a small outdoor amphitheater. 

SOURCES:

Guiguet-Bologne, Philippe. Un guide de Tanger et de sa région. Tangier: Philip Guiguet Bologne, 1996.

Roca, Juan, Ramon. Tangier and its surroundings. Alicante, Spain: Roca Vincente-Franquiera, 2011.