"A GOOD MORNING'S DIVERSION, RABAT" MOROCCO
Oct 22 '01 (Updated May 09 '05)
The Bottom Line Like many administrative cities it can be a bit of a boring place. Mind "boring" by Moroccan standards though.
Rabat lies on Morocco's Atlantic coast, midway between Casablanca and Tangier. It is the administrative capital of the country (Casablanca being the industrial). Rabat is perhaps one of the most European of Moroccan cities with its broad tree lined boulevards and ranks of government buildings, and apartment blocks.
The original Arab parts of the city are restricted to a small cramped Medina at the north of the city along the coastline. This and an even smaller walled Kasbah wedged into a corner between the ocean and the river, the Oued Bou Regreg are two of the most interesting places to explore. The former has an excellent cemetery right against the coastline worth a look at.
Despite its "European look" there is not much night life here. The town seem to retire in the early evening. What good restaurants, cafes and bars exist can be found along the Avenue Mohammed V and Boulevard Hassan II both in the center of town. There are however several good quality "European" style hotels. Most of these service the tour bus trade. Rabat halfway between Casablanca and Tangier is a regular stop. Recommended is the Hotel Chellah (reviewed by me elsewhere).
Aside from the Kasbah and the Medina there are three main attractions worth looking at in Rabat. All can easily if briefly be seen in one morning with the services of a good guide and a taxi. If one is in town for a few days it would also be possible to loiter at each, for a day, especially the second.
THE ROYAL PALACE:
The official residence of the present ruler of Morocco is a massive building complex located in the south end of the city. Unlike the summer palace in Marrakech this one is not open to the public, although the guards do seem to tolerate camera toting tourists at the main entrance. Across the street from the entrance is a massive square, the Mechouar, used for public events.
THE CHELLAH NECROPOLIS :
Located south of the city, near the palace is one of Rabat's more interesting attractions, the Chellah Necropolis. The Chellah itself is a massive building known as the Sanctuary. It is a tomb that contains the remains of several members of Moroccan Royalty.
Behind the main gates with their gothic turrets are two sets of ruins long abandoned, and dating from the beginning of the Millennium, the last Millennium. The first partially excavated one is of the Arab townsite. Beyond that heading toward the river are the older Roman ruins here. A series of elaborate gardens wind their way down terraces to the river.
MOHAMMED V MAUSOLEUM:
Mohammed V was one the "first" ruler of modern Morocco from it's independence in 1956 until his death in 1961. He inherited a country with a good industrial base, but with few trained to run it as the French administrators and managers withdrew. This would be the greatest challenge during his reign.
The Mausoleum is located on a cliff overlooking the west bank of the Oued Bou Regreg. Construction was commenced upon his death, and completed in 1967. Visitors are allowed to pass by the elaborately uniformed guards and gaze down at the white onyx tomb from a balcony. There is always an elderly man in attendance by the tomb reading softly aloud from the Koran.
Beside the tomb is the uncompleted Hassan Mosque. Construction started on it in the Twelfth Century but it was never completed. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the eighteenth century and only a few ruins remain. One look at the giant obelisk that would have been the Mosque's Minaret gives one an idea of the size of the place. Had it been completed, it is believed it would have been the largest Mosque in the entire Muslim world.
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