Rabat Morocco

Located at the mouth of the Atlantic Bu Regreg River, Rabat of Morocco is the administrative capital of the country. Together with Fez, Meknès and Marrakesh, they make up the quartet of imperial cities of the African nation. Despite its size, with a million and a half inhabitants, it is a quiet town very different from the industrious one. Casablanca.

Founded in the XNUMXth century by Caliph Abd al-Mumim on an ancient Roman settlement, it is linked to Spain for a double reason. On the one hand, it was the city where many of the Moorish expelled from our country in the seventeenth century. And, on the other, it served as a bastion of resistance in the wars against Spain in the XNUMXth and early XNUMXth centuries. As a result of all this history, Rabat has numerous monuments, a pleasant climate, offers you excellent gastronomy and allows you to observe deeply rooted customs that are different from ours. If you want to know her, we invite you to our trip.

What to see in Rabat of Morocco

The entire historic center of the Moroccan city has been declared Heritage. But not only do you have things to do with him. Also in other parts of the city there are spectacular monuments. We are going to visit some of them.

Kasbah of the Udayas

At the mouth of the Bu Regreg, you can visit this fortress whose construction dates back to the Almohad Empire (XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries). As we told you, about two thousand Moors expelled from Spain settled in it in the XNUMXth century, giving rise to the independent Republic of Salé.

It only lasted about twenty years. Soon the Alahuitas arrived to seize the territory. It is the dynasty that governs Morocco since then and in the Kasbah they built one of their first palaces. In addition to this and the walls, the spectacular Bab el-Kébir gate and Andalusian garden. We also recommend that you see inside the precious Museum of Decorative Arts and that you enjoy the impressive views of the Atlantic coast that it offers you.

Hassan Tower

It is the only vestige of the megalomaniac project undertaken by Sultan Yaquib al-Mansur in the twelfth century. This sought to build the largest mosque in the world after Samarra, in present-day Iraq. However, upon the death of that ruler, the project was abandoned when only this tower had been built.

It is forty-four meters high and, to reach it, you have to cross a plaza full of columns. As a curiosity, we will tell you that it is the same style as the Giralda de Sevilla.

Mausoleum of Mohammed V

In the same esplanade where the tower is, you will find this mausoleum where they were buried Mohammed v, first King of Morocco, and his two sons. It is a beautiful construction of Arabic-Andalusian style with a facade covered in white marble and a green pyramidal roof.

The interior walls are decorated with Qur'anic texts and with the zellige traditional North African. It is an ornament made from pieces of tiles of different colors.

San Pedro Cathedral

You will find it in the Golan square of Rabat in Morocco and it was built at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, during the Protectorate French of the country. Whitewashed, it has two spire towers on its façade and it is one of the two churches dedicated to Catholic worship in Rabat. The other is that of San Francisco de Asís.

The Royal Palace or Dar-al-Mahkzen

As its name suggests, it is the residence of the monarch and you will find it in the Touarga district. It was built in the XNUMXth century in the traditional style and with green gabled roofs. You will not be able to enter the enclosure but the vision of its wonderful doors and the whole set is worth it.

Chellah Necropolis

Although it is on the outskirts, you can get there by taking a walk. It is an impressive fortification within which there is a real archaeological site. In this you can see from ruins of a Roman forum to remains of houses, a minaret, mausoleums and many other pieces.

It is so named because the benimerines, a Berber people that dominated the area in the XNUMXth century led by Sultan Abu al-Hasan.

Medina of Rabat of Morocco

However, if you really want to see the Rabat of Morocco more authenticYou have to visit the Medina, with its narrow streets and its white houses with blue roofs. To enter it, you must cross the XNUMXth century Almohad walls, which surround the old part of the city, for doors like those of Bab el Alou or Bab el Had. Inside you have a real souk of small shops and stalls where you buy, sell and haggle with almost everything.

What to eat in Rabat

The city is full of street stalls selling food. However, we do not recommend that you buy from them. You never know under what sanitary conditions these products are made. Therefore, if you want to try the cuisine of Rabat in Morocco, we advise you to go to any of the many bars and restaurants that the town has.

Its gastronomy is based on raw materials such as pasta, cereals, honey, almonds or fruits and vegetables. With these and other ingredients, the rabatíes prepare delicious dishes that you will love.

Among them, it is inevitable that we talk to you about Couscous, which combines semolina with vegetables, chicken or lamb. So is referring to kebab and Tajin, although the latter is not a recipe, but anything that is prepared in this type of ceramic containers.

Less well known are dishes such as harira, a meat, legume and tomato soup that is prepared a lot during Ramadan; the Bissara, a bean puree; the kefta, with minced meat, onion, garlic, spicy and other ingredients, or the eggplant zaaluk, which has, in addition to this fruit, lemon, coriander and tomato sauce. However, one of the most typical dishes of Rabat is the pigeon pellet, similar to our pie.

Regarding desserts, the cuisine of the area is very sweet, for which it mainly uses the dates and miel. Among these products, the gazelle horns, a cookie with almonds; the Seff, a kind of sweet couscous; the sphenz, similar to the western donut, and briwat or cakes.

On the other hand, the drink par excellence in Rabat of Morocco is the green tea with mint. It is quite a tradition, to the point that, if it is offered to you, you should never reject it, as it is considered disrespectful. They also consume live, a sour milk; orange juice y Almond milk.

When to go to Rabat from Morocco

The Alawite city presents a temperate mediterranean climate. Winters are pleasant, with average temperatures hovering around twelve degrees and with frequent rains and winds.

Summers are warm but not too hot, as the sea breeze softens the climate. At this time, the average temperatures are around the twenty two degrees, although others quite higher are also registered.

Therefore, the best times for you to travel to Rabat in Morocco are spring and fall. The days are very pleasant and you will not find as much tourism as in summer.

How to get to Rabat

The city has the Rabat-Salé airport, which is seven kilometers away. The best way to get to your accommodation in the town is the bus, which drops you next to the train station.

Once in the city and to move around it, you also have Bus. But more curious is its taxi service. You can choose three types: the small taxi, small cars painted gray and blue; the grand taxi, vehicles with more but shared seats, and the bike-taxi. However, in any of them you will have to bargain. You can end up paying half of what you had been asked for.

In conclusion, Rabat is a mix of tradition and modernity that will fascinate you. It has beautiful monuments, exquisite cuisine and beautiful landscapes.