The glaring blue of the sea and the sky is upon the city. Rabat was built upon the banks of the Bou Regreg estuary. The city extends it welcoming arms to tourists with an array of flower bedecked promenades, all within audible range of the ocean. The structures remain to this day a witness to the Imperial city's proud history and heritage. Islamic arts rub elbows with the contemporary, in the streets that make up Oudaïas Kasbah. The outcome of the fusion of the old and new is a scintillating mosaic that draws onlookers to play the game of bartering and buying.

The mysterious aura that is created by the Garden of Rabat-Salé adorned and planted with exotic blooms is truly breathtaking. Salé epitomizes the nature of a lot of quaint Islamic towns with its quiet streets, sun-bathed squares and lively markets, in the meantime the restaurants and international stores already built is also a manifestation of Rabat's outlook towards the future.

Being the capital of Morocco has made Rabat's colorful past become entwined with magnificence. During Roman times the Chellah Necropolis was built over the town once occupied by the Merinids. Leaving their mark are a couple of invaders like the   Almohads, Berbers, Merinids, Romans, and of course the most recent the French.

An Exploration of Rabat

Rabat's medina and Casbah forms a condensed foundation of the city, which is delimited by the river and sea on one side, and towering walls on the other. Inside these margins, visitors are led through lanes of dynamic street markets, and hushed walks to the Casbah and the Andalusian gardens.

The modern area is inundated with promenades, sidewalk cafes, and European-style avenues occupied by cosmopolitan residents, government workers and students are situated just over the walls of Medina.

The citizens of Rabat move in between the traditional lanes and a framework of modern life just like the city itself.  That is, it is barraged by both the old and the new. In Medina down the length of Rue Souika, women dressed in high heels and tailored suits cross paths with their counterparts who are garbed in the traditional full length jalabas with veiled faces. The men too usually outfitted in jalabas may have the occasional business suit plus tie and collar underneath their traditional attires.

In the market, modern plastic bowls are sold adjacent to antique brass ones, with some vendors using calculators and others equipped with abacus.  A tour of the most ancient part of Rabat will show the Roman ruins, and the Tour Hassan which is 144 ft high. The scene from the terrace called le plateforme is stunning.

Piracy and Slavery

In tracking down pirate ships, Spanish galleons were lured near where the Bou Regreg meets the sea, only to be stranded on the unseen sandbar while the pirate ships continued to gust upriver and to safety whilst the Casbah cannons fired upon the marooned ships.

Onboard the pirate ships were probably hordes of slaves who are disoriented, confused and shivering in terror as they stumble into the gates of Casbah to be auctioned off in the slave market.

The Andalusia slice of Morocco, on the wall of Medina side, dates as far back as the 17th century, fleeing from North Africa or Southern Spain Muslim migrants developed a place that is redolent of their homeland, right at the base of Casbah.

Longer and older, the western wall of Medina travels along the aged city and into the northern cliffs of Casbah. The Almohad wall was built by Yacub el Mansur, who is considered one of Morocco's great builders. The current Royal Complex is situated just beyond the Gate of the Wind.

Reminiscent of Moorish Granada, France's Regal Garden's constructed during the French occupation is made up of graciously chic walkways with the sound of water and plants giving it an air of true beauty.

Located within the garden complex is the Museum of Moroccan Arts it has a wide array of collections made up of carpets, pottery, costumes, jewelry and weapons. The building itself was actually a palace built for the frequent visits of the Sultan of Meknes.  The museum created an expansion by constructing another building alongside the west walls. The new infrastructure houses further displays of pictures of Moroccans and their costumes, and a lavish desert dwelling.

The beaches, the souks, the ancient structures, and the vividly colorful and exotic scenery are only the tip of the Ice berg. Visiting the city of Rabat will expose you to the unusual splendor that is the true experience of Rabat. Dining in Rabat is a pleasantly sweet experience. Tajine, Kaliya, meat stews and vegetables over couscous are all mouthwatering traditional offerings.

A trip to the city of Rabat is never complete without a taste of the delightful pastille, a Moroccan spiced chicken slathered with almond paste. The square in Medina gives a hub nub of food stalls offering the delectable and weird. Worth mentioning is finishing of every meal with a Moroccan treat which is a sweet mint tea paired with every single sweet pastry you can find.

Eating without utensils and using your hands in public places in Rabat or in any city in Morocco is very common. They have several rules regarding this odd tradition. Only the first two fingers and the thumb are put to work, using all of your fingers is a mark of being a glutton; only the right hand is used because the left hand is utilized only for passing the basket of bread.

People usually expect Rabat to be as energetic as all the other cities. On the contrary you will be surprised to see that Rabat offers a convivial respite from the noisy and active crowded cities that is prevalent among tourist destinations. The people of Rabat are unexpectedly shy. They are not rude or apathetic they simply exude a sense of dignity and quiet much like the City of Rabat itself.

Rabat holds a medieval charm that is unexpected of a city in Africa. Although in the brink of modernity Rabat manages to keep its spirit of unspoken inspiration and serenity within the walls that surrounds it.