Rabat

Overview

The capital city of Morocco and is located on the Atlantic ocean at the mouth of the river Abbi Req’Raq’. The city was made the administrative capital after the French protectorate at 1912. It’s one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. Along with Fez, Marrakech and Meknes with almost 2 million people is the nation’s second largest city , the walls that sourounded the old section last since the 12th century . In the heart of the city stands the tour Hassan, the last remains of unfinished mosque behind its marble columns, the king’s Med V mausoleum calls out for solemn respect and peaceful contemplation . Rabat has a medina that is worthy exploring, while Rabat is booming in an economic, political and administrative sense, it’s a place where learning and the art are highly respected the monuments here speaks of an ancient and fertile part that links the country to both the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians.

Chellah Gardens (Sala Colonia) and Necropolis — Head to the Chellah Gardens for a relaxing, beautiful walk through this ancient Roman-Moroccan ruin. Originally the site of the Roman city of Sala Colonia, hundreds of years after the Romans fled Morocco, the Almohad dynasty used the now abandoned city as a necropolis, dubbed Chellah. They were followed by the Merinids, who built a mosque, zaouia and the royal tombs here. The great Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the same that leveled much of Meknes, damaged many of the structures here and the unused city fell into ruin. Today, Chellah has been transformed into a popular tourist destination for the expansive gardens. In the spring, hundreds of flowers are in bloom and couples can be strolling at their leisure along with the occasional bird watcher gazing up at the storks. The grounds are yours to explore, from the citadel to the ruins. The gardens also play host to the annual Chellah Jazz Festival, which is usually held in September. Open daily, 8am – 6pm.

Shop the Medina — Like most other Moroccan cities, Rabat has an old, maze-like medina. However, unlike other medinas around Morocco, the prices here are all basically fixed so you can stroll through this hassle-free medina in all of Morocco, casually shop for tea pots, carpets, leather bags and various other souvenirs, and skip the headache of haggling over the price.