tripwolf your travel guide My Personal Guide

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1 tripwolf your travel guide My Personal Guide

2 city / town Rabat by RollerPress population 1,700,000 Capital only since 1913, Rabat has a long history. Behind its work-a-day façade, Morocco s second city and the country s political nerve centre bears traces of numerous civilizations. It had Roman beginnings, as Colonia Sala Junonia, a prosperous settlement. Sala gave way to Berber Chellah, and then came the Almohads, who made Rabat el Fath, the Fortress of Victory, an imperial capital. (The unfinished Tour Hassan minaret dates from this time.) In the 17th century, Rabat was rebuilt by Andalucían refugees, for a short and vivid period becoming capital of a pirate republic. Under the first Alaouite ruler, Moulay Rachid, Rabat returned to central authority. The city s ville nouvelle dates from the early 20th century, the land between the sultan s palace and the médina being developed as a pleasant plan of wide avenues and gardens. 3 your travel guide your travel guide 4

3 Highlights Rabat Attractions voted for by the tripwolf community Kasbah Oudaya Chellah Kasbah des Oudaïas Hassan Tower and Mohammed V Mausoleum Chellah Customize your trip and get all the infos you need: Create your own trip on tripwolf.com! 5 your travel guide

4 Introduction Build Your Own Guide! Kasbah Oudaya... 9 Chellah Chellah On the following pages, we have listed the highlights for your destination chosen by the tripwolf community (if votes were available). Get more ideas on what to see or do by browsing tripwolf.com. With our free online trip planning tool you can easily build your own personalized guide to take with you on your travels. Try it out! You can even share it with your friends and build your itinerary together! If you do not find enough places and tips for your destination on please simply add some when you come back from your travels. Help us make tripwolf better for other travelers! If you have any questions, please let us know at info@tripwolf.com. 7 your travel guide your travel guide 8

5 Kasbah Oudaya Beautiful fortress within the old city wall of Rabat 3 votes popularity on tripwolf Kasbah Oudaya The beautiful Kasbah thrones aloft on a rock with a lovely view. The old town quarter of Rabat is completely kept in blue white with lanes full of corners, little galleries and pretty cafés. by RollerPress 9 your travel guide your travel guide 10

6 Chellah 2 votes popularity on tripwolf Chellah Chellah, or Chella, (ةلاش) is a necropolis and complex of ancient and medieval ruins that lie on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco s Ville Nouvelle, or modern section. This site is the most ancient human settlement on the mouth of the Bou Regreg River.The Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, who founded several colonies in Morocco, probably inhabited the banks of the Bou Regreg. Chellah contains the ruins of a Roman town known as Sala Colonia and referred to as Sala by Ptolemy. Extant are ruined Roman architectural elements including a Decumanus Maximus, as well as those of a forum and a triumphal arch.the site was abandoned in 1154 AD in favour of nearby Salé. The Almohad dynasty used the ghost town as a necropolis. In the mid-14th century, a Merinid sultan, Abu l-hasan, built several monuments and the main gate (dated to 1339). These later Merinid additions included a mosque, a zawiya, and royal tombs, including that of Abu l-hasan.many of the structures in Chellah were damaged by an 18th century earthquake. The site has been converted to a garden and tourist venue. (...) by simon_music - Flickr 11 your travel guide your travel guide 12

7 Chellah opening hours: rates and features: 10dh 1 vote popularity on tripwolf Chellah ( ,10dh. Open to non-muslims.) The walled ruins of Chellah, a 14th-century Merinid citadel, are reached by going past the main As Sunna Mosque in the ville nou- velle, and on south down Avenue Yacoub al Mansour and through the Bab ez Zaer. It s an impressive place granite fragments encrusted in orange lichen, the clickclacking of large numbers of nesting storks and thick beds of clover and brambles enveloping crumbling fragments of tiles and walls. Paved paths lead between trees down to the most intact ruins, in the far corner of the site. There are five sides to the Chellah, all different lengths, and 20 towers. Chellah was built between 1310 and 1334, approximately on the site of the Roman town of Sala Colonia. The second Merinid Sultan, Abu Yusuf Yacoub, built a mosque and Abul Hassan, the Black Sultan, then built the enclosure wall and the gate. The Roman ruins at the lower level of the Chellah enclosure have been excavated, and include a forum, baths, shops and a temple. These are not open to the public. Bab ez Zaer is smaller and less impressive than the Almohad Bab er Rouah. It is decorated with carving, and coloured marble and tiles, with an octagonal tower [read more on your travel guide your travel guide 14

8 Authors and Content Partners Footprint Essentials The travel info for Rabat background Background Early origins The first settlement of this area was probably outside the present city walls, on the site of the later Merinid mausoleum of Chellah. There may have been Phoenician and Carthaginian settlement, but it is with the Roman Sala Colonia that Rabat s proven urban history began. Awarded municipal privileges, Sala Colonia was the most southwesterly town of the Roman Empire for two centuries, a trading post on the Oued Bou Regreg (which has since changed course), and a defensive settlement close to the line of frontier outposts, which ran through the suburbs to the south of the present city. Sala Colonia came under Amazigh rule from the eighth to the 10th century. However, the heretic Kharajite beliefs of the Imazighen represented a challenge to the orthodoxy of the inland Muslims. In the 10th century the Zenata tribe built a fortified monastery, or ribat, on the site of the current Kasbah des Oudaïas. This functioned as a base from which to challenge the heretics on both sides of the river, and their supporters, the powerful Berghouata tribe. Sala Colonia was thus eventually abandoned. Rabat under the Almohads The ribat was used by the Almoravid Dynasty, but it was the Almohad Sultan Abd al Mumin who redeveloped the settlement in 1150, transforming it into a permanent fortress town with palaces, the main mosque which still stands, reservoirs, and houses for followers, and using it as an assembly point for the large Almohad army. However, it was his grandson Yacoub al Mansour who dreamed of making Rabat one of the great imperial capitals and who from 1184 carried out the most ambitious programme of development. He ordered an enormous city, surrounded by walls, to be built. These walls were probably completed by 1197, and ran along two sides of the city, broken by four gates, most notably the Bab er Rouah. A grid of streets, residential quarters, a covered market, public baths, hotels, workshops and fountains were built, along with a new gateway to the médina. A bridge to Salé, and its Grand Mosque, were also constructed. The most impressive monument from this period, the Hassan Mosque, was never completed however. Projected as the largest mosque in western Islam, little more than pillars remain. The vast minaret never reached its full height and remains a stubby tower. On Yacoub al Mansour s death in 1199 works were abandoned and Rabat then fell into decline. Parts of the city were destroyed in fighting between the Almohads and Merinids, to the point that Leo Africanus, visiting in 1500, found few inhabited neighbourhoods and very few shops. As Rabat declined under the Merinids, Salé prospered. The dynasty s most noteworthy contribution to Rabat was the funeral quarter on the Chellah site, with its impressive mausoleums, but even that eventually fell into neglect. It is impossible to know today to what extent the area within the Almohad walls basically the core of the ville nouvelle was actually built up. Piracy and Andalucíans Rabat s fortunes revived in the 17th century. As maritime technology advanced and the Atlantic Ocean became important to international trade, corsairing, or piracy, boomed. For a time Rabat was the centre, with the notorious Sallee Rovers more likely to have been based here than in present day Salé. (Robinson Crusoe was a fictional captive of a Turkish rover of Sallee.) Rabat also benefited from the flow of Muslims leaving Spain during the Inquisition. First rejected by Salé, the Hornacheros settled in the Rabat kasbah in 1609, and the other Andalucíans in the Rabat médina in The médina they settled in was considerably smaller than the city Yacoub al Mansour had envisaged, as indicated by the 17th-century rampart, which, when built, demarcated the extent of the settlement, and now runs between the médina and the ville nouvelle. The area beyond this rampart was used for farming, and most of it remained undeveloped until the French arrived. In the médina, the Andalucían influence is visible, notably in the street plan. Fierce rivalry existed between the Hornachero and the Andalucían communities, both setting up autonomous city-states and the period between 1610 and 1666 was marked by intermittent strife between the three towns of the Bou Regreg estuary (Rabat, Salé and the Kasbah des Oudaïas). In 1627 the three were united under the control of the Hornacheros as the Republic of the Bou Regreg, a control against which the Andalucíans frequently rebelled, most notably in The Republic lost its independence in In 1641 the three cities were again united, and in 1666 when Moulay Rachid captured the estuary they came under the authority of the Alaouite Sultanate. The principal background to these conflicts was the struggle for control over the profits from piracy. Rabat was especially popular with corsairs, many of whom had Mediterranean origins, because, unlike several other ports, it had not been occupied by Europeans. Alaouite Rabat Under the Alaouites, Rabat changed considerably. Trade and piracy were taken over as official functions, the profits going to the sultanate. The port declined, being replaced by Mogador (Essaouira) in the 18th century. Moulay Rachid took over the kasbah, expelling its residents and built the Qishla fortification to overlook and control the médina. However, Sultan Moulay Ismaïl, most closely associated with Meknès, ignored Rabat, and broke the power of the corsairs. In the late 1760s, Mohammed Ibn Abdallah had a palace built in Rabat, and since then the Alaouite sultans have maintained a palace there, making the city one of their capitals. Increased trade with Europe in the 19th century temporarily revitalized Rabat s role as a port, but it was gradually supplanted, perhaps because of the shallow mouth of the Bou Regreg and the poor harbour facilities but also because newer towns and cities, notably Casablanca, were more easily controlled by Europeans. In 1832 the rebellious Authors and Content Partners Footprint 15 your travel guide your travel guide 16

9 Authors and Content Partners Footprint Oudaïa tribe were settled in the abandoned kasbah, giving it its current name. The kasbah continued to be administered separately from the médina until the 20th century. Modern Rabat, experiment in urban planning In 1912, after complex diplomatic and military manoeuvrings, Morocco was split into two protectorates, with a large French central region and small Spanish zones in the North and the Sahara. Whereas the Moroccan sultanate had had no fixed capital, the power centre being where the sultan happened to be, the French decided that a capital was necessary for the new protectorate and Rabat was chosen in The first Resident-General, Hubert Lyautey, with his architect Henri Prost, planned and built the majority of the new capital, the ville nouvelle, both within and outside Yacoub al Mansour s walls, leaving the médina much as they found it, although the main thoroughfares were paved. Efficiency and beauty were Lyautey s watchwords as he supervised the creation of the new Rabat. The European neighbourhoods were initally laid out in an area between the médina, to the northwest, and the mechouar or sultan s palace complex, to the southeast. A system of parks and gardens was created. The tree-lined street between médina and the ville nouvelle, today s Boulevard Hassan II, becoming a meeting place for Muslim and foreign communities, with municipal markets, bus and taxi stations and cafés. The French planning of the new town reveals some interesting political undertones. It would have been possible, given the freedom that Lyautey had, to build the Residency General at a focal point on a new avenue, rather like Lutyens House of the Viceroy in New Delhi. However, the new administrative buildings were built in a special area, close to the palace. With its luxuriant gardens, the Ministères neighbourhood recalls Anglo-American garden cities. The buildings, despite their importance to French rule, had simple whitewashed walls and green-tiled roofs and were linked by pergola walkways. They were kept unmonumental in scale (even the entrance to the Residency General had no obvious feature), hidden in vegetation. The French used such architectural devices to emphasize local culture, keeping the seats of power hidden in a mini garden suburb. More recent buildings, such as the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clash radically with this original principal. It remains to be seen how the Résidence, until recently used as offices by the Ministry of Defence, will be refurbished as a Museum of Civilizations. Hopefully little of the gardens will be lost under concrete. In short, in colonial Rabat, monumental buildings were only rarely used as a symbol of power. Today s Parliament Building, on the Avenue Mohammed V, is the exception, starting life as the Palais de Justice. Strongly symmetrical, with a massive colonnade, the building was probably designed to symbolize the equity and reason of French justice. Today, it is the centre of Moroccan political life. After independence, Rabat continued to expand, its population swelled by the large number of civil servants required for the newly independent kingdom. Rabat s economy today is primarily based on its role as Morocco s administrative capital, with massive numbers of its inhabitants on the government payroll. The city has attracted large numbers of migrants from the countryside, and the formal housing market has been unable to keep up with the demand for accommodation, leading to the development of new self-built neighbourhoods like Douar Eddoum and Takaddoum. Rabat in many ways is a city of extremes, with streets of fine villas lying a stone s throw away from crowded slums (bidonvilles). South towards Casablanca, the new planned residential area of Hay Ryad is larger than the whole colonial city centre, while at Madinat el Irfane ( City of Knowledge ), Rabat has the country s largest concentration of faculties and university institutes. Neither Almohad sultans nor Lyautey could have imagined that a city could grow so fast in just a couple of decades. Project Bouregreg, slated for completion in 2010, is a major development including a new bridge across the river, a tram connecting Rabat and Salé, a marina and an Atlantic port. Whether it will do enough to ensure that the city keeps up with the pace of change, remains to be seen. getting around Getting around The main sites of Rabat are close enough to each other to do on foot. If time is limited, you may want to get one of the blue petits taxis between monuments, say from Chellah to the Kasbah des Oudaïas. This should cost around 10dh. getting there Ins and outs Getting there Rabat is easy to get to from other parts of Morocco by public transport. There is a shuttle train service from Casablanca, and trains from Tangier, Fès and Meknès and Marrakech, as well as grands taxis. There s a small airport 11 km outside town (Rabat-Salé, T ) with some internal flights and some from France. Most international flights come into Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (for information on RAM flights, T , From here there s a shuttle train to Rabat (change at Casa-Voyageurs or Casa-Port stations, information on T ) or a grand taxi will set you back 400dh. When coming into Rabat by bus, the principal bus terminal, for both CTM and private line buses, is at Place Zerktouni, 3 km out from the centre. For the city centre, catch a No 30 bus to Av Hassan II, or take a petit taxi for about 20dh. Rabat Air To get to Mohammed V airport (Casablanca), take the train from Rabat to Casa-Port or Casa-Voyageurs, where you will need to change. There are 11 daily between 0512 and For Rabat-Salé airport, T , take a taxi, or if you re driving, follow the N6 Salé Meknès road. There are daily direct flights to Paris with Royal Air Maroc ( and Jet4You ( Airline offices Royal Air Maroc, 2 agencies in downtown Rabat. Agence A is almost opposite the train station on Av Mohammed V, T , central reservations on T Agence B, 9 Rue Abou Faris al Marini, T , up the hill opposite the station. Air France is further down, after the Hotel Balima, T There is no British Airways office in Rabat, contact their main office in Casablanca on T (reservations) or T (flight information). Iberia, 104 Av Mohammed V. Bus Local Buses run all over the city, many originating from Av Hassan II, near Bab el Had, or just past Parc du Triangle de Vue. Nos 6 and 12 go to Salé, 17 to Temara, 1, 2 and 4 for the Chellah, get off at Bab des Authors and Content Partners Footprint 17 your travel guide your travel guide 18

10 Authors and Content Partners Footprint Zaër. The main bus terminal for all buses, T , is at Pl Zerktouni, 3 km from the centre, to the west of the city in the direction of Casablanca. Catch a petit taxi there, or a No 30 bus from Av Hassan II. CTM and other companies. Buses to Casablanca, 10 a day (1½ hrs), Tangiers, 2 a day (5 hrs), Meknès 3 a day (4 hrs), Fès 6 a day (5½ hrs). Car Car hire Avis, 7 Rue Abou Faris el Marini, T , also at Rabat-Salé Airport. Budget, Rabat-Ville Railway Station, T Citer, Residence el Minzah, Rue el Kahira, T Hertz, 467 Av Mohammed V, T , also at Rabat-Salé Airport. Holiday Car, 1 bis Av Ibn Sina, T Inter Rent- Europcar, 25 bis Rue Patrice Lumumba. La Royale, Immeuble Montfavet, Pl Mohammed V, T Sixt, Hotel Hilton, Rabat, T Taxi Petit taxi In Rabat they are blue and some of the best in Morocco, nearly always metered, and often shared. They can be picked up anywhere, most easily at the stand on Av Hassan II, close to the junction with Av Mohammed V. Alternatively, T Sample fare from Av Mohammed V to Hassan Tower, 10dh. A Rabat petit taxi cannot take you to Salé, which has its own taxis take a grand taxi instead. Grands taxis Shared between 6 passengers, these run from the stand on Av Hassan II, just past the Parc du Triangle de Vue, for local locations such as Temara, Skhirat, Salé (20dh per person) and Bouknadel, and from the bus station for long-distance locations. Train Rabat Ville station, Av Mohammed V, T , has departures for: Casablanca, regular services between 0437 and 2337; Marrakech, 8 daily between 0437 and 2337; El Jadida, 1957; Oued Zem, 0815, 1527, 1930; Meknès and Fès, 9 daily between 0752 and 2349; Taza and Oujda, 1047, 1522, 2141, 2349; Tangier, 0748, 1327, 1656 and Rabat Agdal station, Rue Abderrahman el Ghafiki, T , has departures for: Casablanca, Marrakech, El Jadida and Oued Zem, as above, 4-6 mins later; Meknès, Fès, Oujda and Tangier, as above 6-8 mins earlier. Préfecture, Av Moulay Slimane opposite town hall. If not open, look in any chemist s door for details or T for the name of the night chemist. Police Rue Soekarno, behind the PTT Centrale, T19. Post PTT Centrale, Av Mohammed V, , Rue al Mansour ad-dahbi, just off Av Mohammed V, opposite the post office has a permanent facility for telephoning and collecting letters. Check with staff that previous call is cleared before using cabin. Otherwise there are plenty of téléboutiques around the city centre. Authors and Content Partners Footprint stay in touch Banks BMCI ATM just as you turn left out of Rabat main rail station, on the corner. Wafa Bank, where Av Mohammed V meets Av Hassan II. ABM, 19 Av Allal Ben Abdallah, T Banque Marocaine de Commerce Exterieur (BMCE), 241 Av Mohammed V, T The best for change (cash, TCs and Visa/Mastercard) for which it has a separate door. Open weekdays, and weekends). BMAO, Av Allal Ben Abdallah, T Crédit du Maroc, Av Allal Ben Abdallah, T Wafa Bank, Av Mohammed V, T /82. Fire T15. Hospital Hôpital Avicenne, Av Ibn Sina, T SOS Médecins: Rabat and Salé, T Emergency private medical service. Internet ACDIM, 44 Rue Abou Derr, Agdal, T , Cyberinfo, 68 Av Fal Ould Oumeir, Agdal, Rabat, T Cyberplanete, 23 Av d Alger, appt 1, Tour Hassan (10-mins walk from main station). Glacier-Web, 1 bis Rue Maârif, Aviation, T Try also upstairs at the Librairie Livre Service, on Av Allal Ben Abdallah, almost opposite Crédit du Maroc. Medical services Ambulance: T15. Chemists: Pharmacie du Chellah, Pl de Melilla, T , and another on Rue Moulay Slimane. Pharmacie de la 19 your travel guide your travel guide 20

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