Moments in a longer story.

These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.

1. 1840

   Ion Perdicaris is born

   Ion Perdicaris is born in Athens, the son of a Greek-born father who had become an American citizen.

2. 1878

   The house is built

   Perdicaris builds his house in the Rmilat forest, overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco’s Ministry of Culture gives 1878; some accounts give 1877.

3. 1884

   Settled in Tangier

   Perdicaris settles permanently in Tangier.

4. 18 May 1904

   The kidnapping

   Perdicaris and his stepson Cromwell Varley are seized at the house by men led by Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni.

5. June 1904

   “Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead”

   John Hay’s message is read to the Republican National Convention. The captives are freed later in the month after a ransom of $70,000 is paid.

6. 1925

   Perdicaris dies

   Ion Perdicaris dies in London.

7. 1930

   A new owner

   The estate is sold to Thami El Glaoui, who uses it as a residence in Tangier.

8. 1956

   State property

   After Moroccan independence, the estate becomes state property; the same year, Tangier’s international zone comes to an end.

9. 2015

   Renovation begins

   Work starts to rescue the house after decades of neglect.

10. April 2022

    A heritage centre

    The house reopens as a Heritage Interpretation Centre on Ion Perdicaris and the biodiversity of the Rmilat forest.

A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.

• Read the History page→
• Explore heritage→