Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RABAT IN…
One Day
Start with a delicious breakfast at the
Pâtisserie Majestic
on Ave Mohammed V. A stroll through the
medina will bring you to a superb lunch at
Riad Oudaya
. Cross Blvd Tariq al-Marsa and enter the
Kasbah les Oudaias
through the spectacular gate, Bab Oudaia. Climb to the top for magnificent
views, then head to
Galérie d'Art Nouiga
. Stop for tea at
Café Maure
overlooking the Bou Regreg
river. Take a taxi to the
Archaeology Museum
to see the famous Volubilis bronzes. By this time,
you'll have earned a beer on the terrace at the
Hôtel Balima
, before dinner at the swish
Le Grand
Comptoir
.
Two Days
Take the tram to
Salé
for a Moroccan-style breakfast at a cafe on
Pl Bab Khebaz
. Head into the med-
ina to view the beautiful
Grande Mosquée
and
zawiyas
(shrines). Wander down to the river and be
rowed across to Rabat, have fish for lunch at
Borj Eddar
overlooking the ocean, then take a taxi to
Le Tour Hassan
and the
Mausoleum of Mohammed V
. Another short taxi ride gets you to the
Chel-
lah
, perfect for an afternoon stroll. For dinner,
L'Entrecôte
in trendy Agdal hits the spot, before dan-
cing the night away at
Amnesia
.
History
The fertile plains inland from Rabat drew settlers to the area as far back as the 8th century
BC. Both the Phoenicians and the Romans set up trading posts in the estuary of the Bou
Regreg river in Sala, today's Chellah. The Roman settlement, Sala Colonia, lasted long
after the empire's fall and eventually became the seat of an independent Berber kingdom.
The Zenata Berbers built a
ribat,
a fortress-monastery after which the city takes its name,
on the present site of Rabat's kasbah. As the new town of Salé (created in the 10th cen-
tury) began to prosper on the north bank of the river, the city of Chellah fell into decline.
The arrival of the Almohads in the 12th century saw the
ribat
rebuilt as a kasbah, a stra-
tegic jumping-off point for campaigns in Spain, where the dynasty successfully brought
Andalucia back under Muslim rule. Under Yacoub el-Mansour (the Victorious), Rabat en-
joyed a brief heyday as an imperial capital, Ribat al-Fatah (Victory Fortress). El-Mansour
had extensive walls built, added the enormous Bab Oudaia to the kasbah and began work
on the Hassan Mosque, intended to be the greatest mosque in all of the Islamic West, if
not in all of the Islamic world.
El-Mansour's death in 1199 brought an end to these grandiose schemes, leaving the
great Hassan Mosque incomplete. The city soon lost all significance and it wasn't until the
17th century that Rabat's fortunes began to change.
