Life after Annandale High: Rabat, a Capital City

S’ba hanour – “Good morning” in Darija (Moroccan Arabic) – is finally rolling off my tongue after a week in Morocco. Our group (now numbering 16) is in Rabat, and we’ve exchanged our cozy minivan for a bright and shiny big bus with enormous windows, plush reclining seats, and footrests. As we make our way through Rabat, we’re high above street level, gazing down on cars and pedestrians.

Rabat, Morocco's capital, is located on the Atlantic coast, 54 miles north of Casablanca. It's a city of 1.2 million people. Actually, 2 million people reside in the metropolitan area. Rabat is a clean, white, new looking city, and expensive by Moroccan standards. Most of the city was built by the French in the 1930s and 40s. Most of the people who work in the city center live across the Bouregreg River in the more affordable sister city of Sale. Fortunately, a new tram system provides easy transportation.

Our modern hotel is located in the Nouvelle Ville, amidst all of the government and commercial buildings. There’s not all that much of interest to tourists right in the vicinity (with the exception of the modern art museum, which was closed on the day we were in Rabat) so we’re heading out to some of the historic sites.

First, there’s the Chellah (pronounced Shellah), the hilltop fortress built in the 14^th century. It sits on the ruins of an ancient Roman settlement. Since it’s temporarily closed, we can only see it from the outside. In the eerie morning light, it looks somewhat forbidding.

Next, we drive through the sprawling royal compound (home to the king, his advisors, and members of the government) to reach the site of two of Rabat’s landmarks – the mausoleums where the current king’s father (Hassan II) and grandfather (Mohamed V) are buried; and the soaring Hassan Tower (no relation to Hassan II), which dates back to the 12^th century. Uniformed guards on horseback are at posted at the site.

The tower was part of an Almohad caliph’s plan to build the largest minaret and mosque in the world. He wanted the mosque to be able to accommodate 20,000 worshippers (the size of his army). Construction of the minaret and mosque stopped when the caliph died and was never completed. The tower stands at 44 meters. An earthquake in 1755 destroyed much of the walls and columns. Today, pigeons roost in the scaffolding holes of the remaining walls.

Afterwards, we head for the Oudaya Kasbah and old medina. The monumental late 12^th century Bab Oudaya Gate, located at the northwest entrance to the Kasbah, is considered one of the finest examples of Moroccan architecture. Both the Kasbah and the adjacent medina border the river.

The medina consists mostly of narrow residential streets with whitewashed houses and occasional displays of handicrafts. Many Muslim refugees from Christian Spain settled here. Door knockers shaped like the hand of Fatima are common and are used as a sign of protection.

After a pleasant stroll, we stop at an outdoor café for mint tea and cookies.

Later in the afternoon, Abdou walks with me to the mellah, the old Jewish quarter of the medina. We locate a synagogue but it's not open now. According to a local man Abdou speaks to, there are only 45 Jews remaining in Rabat. At one time, there were 18 different synagogues in the mellah.

Entrance to the mellah

Balconies are typical of houses in the mellah.

The street sign says "Rue du Mellah."

entrance to an old synagogue

The man then leads us to a nearby synagogue outside the walls of the medina. This synagogue is still in use for Shabbat services.

Dinner on our last evening in Rabat is quite memorable. At a restaurant called Dinarjat, traditional Moroccan music accompanies our meal. After sampling an array of Moroccan salads (eggplant; zucchini; carrots; potato; spinach; tomato & cucumber) and fried pastries stuffed with meat and chicken, we dine on a main course of stuffed vegetables and finish with a traditional dessert called jawhara, which consists of layers of fried phyllo dough soaked in cream, egg, and rosewater, and garnished with ground almonds. And, of course, the ubiquitous mint tea. It is truly decadent and delicious.