- Marrakech, Morocco — starting of the Morocco segment of our 2026 adventure
- Essaouira, Morocco
- Ourika Valley and the Atlas Mountains, Morocco
- Errachidia and the Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp
- Fes, Morocco
- Volubilis and Meknes, Morocco
- Chefchaouen, Morocco
- Tangier, Morocco
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Rabat, Morocco
Today, we took the 1.5 hour trip down to visit Rabat (actually Rabat and Salé, separated by the Bou Regreg River near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean), the capital of Morocco. As we drove in, the first thing that was apparent was how clean the city was. Even though it is the second largest city in Morocco (about little more than half the size of Casablanca), it felt smaller, more organized, and “fresher.” I guess when the king lives there much of the time, you pay a bit more attention to those types of things. And speaking of the king, we had hoped to get a tour of the Royal Palace as our first stop, but apparently he was entertaining some foreign dignitary at the time. Ah well, next time. For a city that plays such an important administrative role in the country, it amazed me how much of its history and historical buildings have been preserved.
Our first stop (and where we spent a lot of time) was at the Chellah archeological site — a microcosm of the history of Rabat. Originally settled by the Phoenicians (although there is some disagreement about this), the Mauritanians were the first to significantly build on the site as a trading center, attracting merchants from all corners of the Mediterranean. But the real heyday in this location was with the arrival of the Romans, calling the city “Sala Colonia.” They ruled here from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD. They built many fortifications, but also a full community including public buildings, temples, baths, dwellings, and even a commercial marketplace. After the Roman’s departure, this site didn’t once again achieve significance until the Islamic Marinid dynasty ruled for a few hundred years, starting in 1269. What was interesting to me was that unlike many other locations where new arrivals built on top of the Roman ruins, the Marinids built adjacent to it. The monuments they left behind were significant, telling a detailed story about their lives here. Here too they had a necropolis where several sultans and influential figures were buried in highly decorated mausoleums. They also built the wall that surrounds the entire complex, flanked by 23 towers. Definitely impressive! But even after Chellah began to disappear, it remained a holy place within Islam — at one point rivaling Mecca in importance. In fact, the hills around Chellah became the burial ground for several Islamic saints. Needless to say, this site has been deemed very important from an archeological perspective, declaring it a historical monument in 1920 and becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. We really enjoyed wandering around the site and listening to the excellent audio tour. We also enjoyed the huge number of storks that were nesting and clacking away as we wandered.
Our next stop was at the Hassan Tower, and unfinished minaret started in the late 12th century during the Almohad Caliphate. It was intended that this would be the tallest minaret in the world and part of what would have been the largest mosque in the western Islamic world. Unfortunately, the caliph at the time, died unexpectedly and worked stopped on the project. So what remains today is the 145 tower, 348 columns that would have supported the mosque, and parts of an exterior wall. Even though it was never completed, it suffered significant damage in a 1755 earthquake and both Moroccan and French archeologists worked for years to preserve it. In the 1960s, the area was transformed to accommodate the other significant structure in this complex — the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, that was completed in 1971. King Mohammed V played a pivotal role in the country’s independence. He also refused to implement the anti-Semitic laws specified under the French Vichy Regime. He was well-loved by his people. As a consequence, the design of his mausoleum is very elegant with both Islamic and broader Moroccan motifs.
From there, we moved forward in history to visit the Kasbah des Oudaias, a fortification rising up over the Bou Regreg River and overlooking the Atlantic. It was built originally as a small fort to protect Chellah as well the mouth of the river. It has been abandoned, occupied, enlarged, and remodeled several times over its life, turning it into a citadel, with associated Kasbah. It is named after the Udayas, a tribe that ruled over it for a period to protect their city from other tribes in the area as well as pirates that based out of Salé. It too fell into ruin and the current structure is from a remodel done by the French from 1912 until Morocco’s independence in 1956. Today, the Kasbah is essentially a neighborhood of houses, shops, and a museum. It also includes the Andalusian Gardens, built in the early 20th century as a respite for people living in the Kasbah. While owned by the government, people rent to live there — including the French Ambassador who lives there. The blue and white buildings also reminded us of Chefchaouen.
Before we left the city, we looked at some of the stunning new architecture in the area to include the Grand Theater of Rabat, a performing arts center with a fluid and futuristic design by Zaha Hadid (her last project before her death) and the Mohammed VI Tower, a 55-story, 820 foot tower that will house apartments, a hotel, office space, and retail. It is the tallest building in Morocco and the third tallest in Africa. It reminded me of the spaceship in the movie “Arrival.” We also drove along the coast for a while, admiring the waterfront and marveling at the old neighborhoods that are being torn down for redevelopment. After of visit there, we returned to Casablanca in preparation for our departure from Morocco.
I thought I would share a few impressions about Morocco before we leave. First of all, both Deb and I loved it. We traveled to a number of different places in completely different environments (e.g., ocean, desert, mountains, plains) and anywhere from small villages to big cities. But we found the people largely the same wherever we traveled and I guess I’d like to give you my impressions of them. They are universally kind; you only have to see how they take care of stray cats to see how much they give of themselves. They are also in it for everyone. Friendship is on display all the time, whether by twos, or in whole groups. They support each other and they genuinely want to support us (that was a little intimidating at first; the scam alarm was going off in my head, but I learned to understand and appreciate it). They always have smiles on their faces; they seem to take life at face value. And that connects to the fact that they seem to value the journey as much as(if not more) than the destination. To a large degree, they live simple lives, no matter their economic circumstances. They tend to live life slowly and simply; they really do stop and smell the roses. And they find beauty in small things. I think that is reflected in their art too. Even in creating simple things, they try to beautify them and love to share the simple elegance of their creation with you. Net-net, I think they truly live the platitudes that we always tell ourselves we should strive for (e.g., slowing down, finding beauty in small things, being a true friend). Being the cynics that we are, the first thought is that they were playing me. It takes a while to appreciate how they have found the path. Whether that is from their religion (because some of these tenets are consistent with Islam) or if it just from living together in all types of circumstances over their lives. I can tell you this — I like them a lot! Now let’s go explore South Africa!
This entry was posted in Africa, Morocco, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
