First impressions of Rabat – The Kingdom’s heart

Rabat is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, and all the important government offices are located there. The city has many different faces – modern office buildings, the King’s palace, the Agdal neighborhood with chain stores, colonial French buildings, and of course the Medina.

It is unusual to find foreigners on the roads of Rabat, especially at the time of year that I was there – January through March – but if you do find foreigners, you’ll most likely see them near some of the better-known tourist attractions. One of these is the Tour Hassan.

On some days, the entrance to what was supposed to be the largest mosque with the tallest minaret in the world when construction took place in the 12th century, the entrance is guarded by soldiers in ceremonial clothes, sitting on horses either side of the gate.

Neither the mosque, nor the minaret were ever completed; construction ended in 1199, only four years after it began.

Opposite of the tower, the Tour Hasan, you will find a white building that is guarded by soldiers in ceremonial clothing and surrounded by many people. From the general atmosphere outside, you wouldn’t be able to tell that this is a Mausoeum. Construction was completed in 1972 for Mohammed the V., and in the smaller coffins at the sides are his two sons, Hassan the II. and Prince Abdallah. It is absolutely worth going inside alone for the decorations on the walls, doors and ceiling.

In many ways, Rabat still has the feeling of a French colonial town, not only because French is one of the three official languages of Morocco (together with Arabic and Berber).

The promenade along the mouth of the Oued Bou Regreg is also quite a nice place to go in your free time. It is quite lively, and there are countless small food carts you can get cheap Moroccan food and pastries from.

It’s also here that Rabat’s fishers depart to the Atlantic from and repair their nets.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find a person selling Sugar Cane Juice at the waterfront. Though you may initially hesitate, you shouldn’t miss the chance to try a glass for only around a Dirham.

You can also get some pretty neat views not only of the Kasbah, but also of the rest of the city from the waterfront.

The Kasbah is probably the main tourist attraction of Rabat. It is a Medieval Fortress overlooking the point where the river flows into the ocean.

And then, of course, there is the Medina – the historic city center. It is very rare for tourists to actually venture deep into the maze-like roads of the Medina, and the markets are clearly aimed at locals, each street with its own type of produce – one selling vegetable and fruits, the next plastic products, the third clothes, etc.

I highly recommend to put to the side a bit of time, maybe one and a half hours, and just get lost in the Media. As long as you don’t mind many people close together, it should be an incredible experience. Do keep in mind, though, that sometimes you may not be too welcome in some of the more residential zones of the Medina, and especially women usually do not want their photo taken. The Medina is also a great place to try out various new types of food.