Rabat travel guide
Morocco's capital, Rabat, is conservative in character, with grand architecture, verdant boulevards and pleasant cafés.
The site was probably occupied by Phoenicians as early as the 11th century BC, and the Romans built their southernmost port, Sala Colonia, here in the 1st century AD. But it was not until the 10th century that a local Berber tribe founded the city of Salé on the right bank of the river mouth, and built a ribat (fortified camp) on a bluff at the western extremity of the estuary’s south bank.
During the 12th century, Rabat became the imperial capital of the great Almohad conqueror Yacoub el Mansour, who ruled over an area that stretched from Tunisia to northern Spain. After his death Rabat lost much of its importance, while Fez, Meknes and Marrakech prospered.
Rabat did not recover its status as capital until the establishment of the French Protectorate in 1912, when Marshal Lyautey made it the administrative capital; and it was only when Morocco regained its full independence in 1956 that the city became capital of the new kingdom.
Things to see in Rabat
The Oudaias Kasbah and Andalusian Garden
At the end of Rue des Consuls you’ll see the massive walls of the Oudaias Kasbah. The main entrance to this 12th-century fort is through the Bab Oudaia, a beautiful Moorish gateway and one of the Almohad dynasty’s great architectural achievements. A simple but strong horseshoe arch flanked by two towers, it was constructed in the late 12th century by Yacoub el Mansour, probably for ceremonial rather strategic purposes.
Today a pleasant residential quarter, the kasbah occupies the site of the original ribat that gave the city its name. Its hilltop position made it easy to defend for the fierce Oudaia Bedouin Arabs garrisoned here by Moulay Ismail. Pass through the gate (no need for a guide: it is impossible to get lost) into the narrow main street, Rue Djemaa, lined with iron-studded house doors set in picturesque doorways. At the far end a terrace overlooks the fortifications, with a fine view across the Bou Regreg to Rabat’s sister city, Salé.
A short flight of steps leads down to the La Caravelle restaurant with a terrace overlooking the ocean. For a restful break, return along Rue Djemaa and turn left down the Rue Bazzo to the Café Maure, where tables occupy a shady terrace beneath an ancient fig tree. A door from the terrace leads into the kasbah’s lovely Andalusian Garden, planted with cypress, lemon trees, datura, roses and bougainvillaea. A stairway climbs from the garden to a 17th-century palace built by Moulay Ismail, well worth visiting for its vast reception rooms and delightful hammam (bath).
On the road downhill from the kasbah (Tariq el Marsa) is the Oudaias Museum, which has an excellent display of antique furniture, rugs and ceramics. The crafts co-operative opposite, the Ensemble Artisanal, sells good-quality modern work.
Traditional craftsmanship in the Mausoleum of Mohammed V
On the eastern edge of the ville nouvelle lies the nation’s monument to the king who achieved independence for Morocco in 1956. Although built in the 1960s, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V is a clear celebration of traditional Moroccan craftsmanship. The entrance is flanked by guards dressed as Berber warriors. Inside you will find yourself on a mezzanine balcony beneath a magnificent carved wooden dome. On the floor below lie the sarcophagi of Mohammed V (the largest) and his two sons (Hassan II was laid to rest here in 1999).
The mausoleum overlooks the ruins of the Hassan Mosque, built by the Almohad Sultan Yacoub el Mansour (Almohad dynasty) at the end of the 12th century. The Sultan died before the ambitious project was completed, and the main structure fell victim to the elements; all that remain today are the parallel ranks of stumpy columns fringed by crumbling brick walls.
Views from the Hassan Tower
By contrast, the huge but unfinished minaret, the Hassan Tower (Tour Hassan), built by Yacoub el Mansour in 1196, has survived unscathed, and remains as a monument to Almohad architecture. It was designed by the same architect who built the Koutoubia in Marrakech and the Giralda in Seville and was intended to be 80 metres (262ft) high. You can climb to the top of the unfinished tower – the views from here are spectacular.
The bronze room in the Archaeological Museum
Located in Rue Brihi, to the left of the huge Sunna Mosque, Rabat’s Archaeological Museum traces Moroccan history from prehistoric times to the Muslim conquest, with emphasis on the Phoenician and Roman eras. The collection brings together items found at Morocco’s principal archaeological sites. The showpiece is the Salle des Bronzes, located in a separate building, which the caretaker will unlock. It contains superb bronze heads, notably of King Juba II and Cato the Younger, the Roman philosopher and statesman, as well as some exquisite statuettes, such as the Ephebus (ivy-crowned youth) and the Rider. Other rooms contain sculptures, jewellery and other finds from Sala Colonia, Lixus and Volubilis.
The Chellah Necropolis
The Roman town of Sala Colonia occupied a site that now lies just outside the walls of Rabat. The town was abandoned in 1154 in favour of Salé. The Merenids used the site as a cemetery from the 14th century, building a wall around it. This area is now known as the Chellah Necropolis. You enter through a dramatic Merenid gate – more ornamental than defensive, since Muslim graves contain no treasure – flanked by a pair of octagonal towers. Inside, the overgrown gardens cover the ruins of a typical provincial Roman forum, triumphal arch, porticoed market streets and a thermal bath.
Downhill from the Roman ruins is a little grove of bamboo and banana plants. On the right-hand side, behind a whitewashed tomb, is a stone basin full of crystal-clear water. In this quiet spot, childless women come and feed hard-boiled eggs to the grey eels that inhabit the pond, in the hope that ancient magic will one day bring them the gift of a son or daughter. For a few dirhams, a guide should be able to show you around the ruined mosque next to the pond – its graceful minaret is crowned with the untidy nests of migratory storks – as well as the neighbouring madrassa, where traces of tilework on the arches and doorways testify to its former opulence. These structures were built for holy men who were encouraged to pray and study beside the royal necropolis.
Discover more of Morocco
• The historically rich city of Casablanca
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