Rabat - Morocco's Capital City

Trip Start Jun 29, 2008

Trip End Nov 27, 2008

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Where I stayed

Jasmine Hotel

(Rabat hotels)

Flag of Morocco Rabat, Morocco
Sunday, October 19, 2008

Rabat is home to the current Royal Family and thus is the Political Capital of Morocco. Our visit commenced with a tour of the grounds of the Royal Palace; unfortunately we were not able to visit the interior of the Palace. The Royal Palace is the administrative site for the King (his living quarters are elsewhere), and the grounds contain a number of other important structures, including the school for his children, which may also be attended by very bright students of non-royal birth. All education in Morocco is free. Unfortunately, though, it is evident that some children never get the chance to attend school, as they start working at a very young age, either learning a trade from their parents or selling food products by the roadside or crafts in the tourist destinations.

We then visited the Kasbah, a pleasant residential area of town on top of a hill, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was previously a fort - thus the name Kasbah. The area is full of narrow cobblestoned passages, with the lower half of the walls painted light blue - supposedly this keeps away mosquitoes (I am thinking I might need a new colour in my wardrobe). The area is popular with foreigners, who have purchased houses here.

Our tour continued to the mausoleum of the previous 2 kings (Mohammed V and Hassan II) sited in a plaza filled with the ruins of the Hassan Mosque, built by Sultan Yacoub el Mansour at the end of the 12th century. Unfortunately, the Sultan died before the ambitious project could be completed, thus leaving the unfinished minaret, now called the Hassan Tower. The Hassan tower was never completed as King Hassan died prior to its completion; it was originally 64m in height, but lost 20m in an earthquake that was centred in Lisbon. Next stop were the ruins of the Roman town, Sala Colonia, a site abandoned in the 12th century and used as a cemetery from the 14th century. The ruined mosque now houses the nests of stalks.
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