Rabat, an elegant combination of ancient history with modern culture

Rabat is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the outlet of the river Bou Regreg. On the facing shore of the river lies the neighboring superb white medina of Salé.
Rabat symbolizes the infinite variety of morocco. It has many historical monuments and some of Morocco's most important museums.
On top of that, it is home to a great many bewitching palaces, mosques and parks and it is marked by endless stretches of white sandy beaches. The city is also the home of the main Royal Palace
Moreover, the presence of many foreign embassies and government buildings serve to make Rabat the second most important city in the country after Casablanca.
Rabat is also a city of culture, art and many active organizations in cultural and social issues and home to two big universities:Mohammed V-Agdal and Mohammed V-Souissi..

A historical glance

Rabat has been the capital city of the Moroccan kingdom since 1912. It was built on Challah ruins whose history may be traced back to the VIIIth century. By the end of the Xth century, the Zenetes, a Berber tribe, made of it a place for their military barracks. Casbah of Oudayas is now what remains of that military site. In the XIIth century, the city became the capital city of Almohades and Yacoub EL MANSOUR gave it the name of "Ribat El Fath" (Victory Fortress).

Rabat owes its beautiful architecture and wonderful old buildings to Yacoub EL MANSOUR. A six kilometre-long-wall with five big gates, Hassan Mosque, which could have been one of the biggest mosques in the Arab world at that time if it had been completed, and the great old gate of Oudayas Casbah are some interesting historical sites which are really worth visiting.
In 1666 and under the reign of Moulay Rachid, the city got prosperous. He built more walls to protect it and finished building the Casbah and the port.
In 1912, Rabat has become the capital city of the Kingdom; offices, universities and embassies with their modern architecture draw a contrast with old walls and towers.

The Oudayas Kasbah

The Kasbah of Oudayas seems to be a city within a city, which is built on the cliff overlooking the estuary and the Atlantic Ocean throning aloft on a rock with a lovely view. Constructed during the 12th century by the Almohades, it was originally called “Mehdiya”. In fact, it’s a former fortified convent, where the religious soldiers departed for the Holy War against the Christians in Spain and named at that time “Ribat El Fath” or Fort of Victory, which explains us the true origin of the name "Rabat".
With the arrival of the Andalusians, chased out of Spain at the beginning of the 17th century this site was called “Kasbah Andaluse”, until an Arabic tribe, called the Oudayas, chased away from Fez, established themselves in 1833, naming it eventually the “Kasbah des Oudayas”, the name kept until today.
The Oudayas Kasbah is now full of wonderful bright white houses with blue trim and extraordinary terraces, little galleries and pretty cafés.

Hassan Tower

Hassan Tower is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat. Begun in 1195 AD, the tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world along with the mosque. In 1199, Sultan Yacoub al-Mansour died and construction on the mosque stopped. The tower only reached 44 m, about half of its intended 86 m height. Instead of stairs, the tower is ascended by ramps. The minaret's ramps would have allowed the muezzin to ride a horse to the top of the tower to issue the call to prayer.
The tower, made of red sandstone along with the remains of the mosque and the modern Mausoleum of Mohammed V, forms an important historical and tourist complex in Rabat.

Mohammed-V mausoleum

The Mausoleum is a typical sample of Moroccan architecture; it stands majestically near Hassan mosque overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and its neighbouring river, Bou Rereg. The building is considered a masterpiece of modern Alaouite dynasty architecture, with its white silhouette, topped by a typical green tiled roof. Its construction was completed in 1971. It contains the tombs of king Mohammed-V and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.

The Chellah Necropolis

The Chellah Necropolis is an ancient burial ground built upon the remains of the ancient Roman town of Sala. Uninhabited for nearly one thousand years, the necropolis is a complex of interesting tombs and ruins from both Roman and Islamic dynasties. Chellah is known for its magnificent gardens and ancient stones, and is home of dozens of storks.

The Royal Place and Rabat’s Archaeological Museum

The majestic Royal Palace, construction of which began in 1864, is located right in the heart of Rabat and is surrounded by a wall cut by three gates. Inside, the various buildings open into the space known as the Mechouar which holds the Ahl-Fas mosque where the King leads prayers on Fridays. The palace provides a fine illustration of Islamic architecture and the gardens that encircle its park are stunning, scenic and green.
Built in 1932 and enlarged a few years later to display the finds resulting from intense archaeological research, this museum has housed the National Museum collections since 1986
The prehistoric section brings together human remains from the middle Palaeolithic period (probably Neanderthals) to the Neolithic (4000 B.C.), proving the continuity and size of the population at this time.
The Islamic archaeology section is constantly growing with finds coming from the excavations of VIIIth and IXth century sites.
Pre-Roman and Roman civilisations are particularly well-represented by some of the finest pieces to have survived from those periods. there is a first-rate collection of Hellenistic-style bronzes, so exceptional that it is difficult to know where to look first: the "Drunken Donkey", passionately lyrical, an incomparable masterpiece from the time of Augustus, the "Volubilis Dog" with its stunning realism, the "Young man Crowned With Ivy", a marvel of elegance and grace and the "Heads of Young Berbers" in marble, remarkable for their technical perfection and the vigorous strength of their expression.