Rabat city, Morocco

2006-01-18T05:48:00.000-08:00

There is blue everywhere. The intense blue of the sky and the sea. And, nestling within the protection of the ochre-colored ramparts, a gleaming white city and a minaret (tower) that reaches up to touch the clouds: this is Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Rabatas a long history as a capital city. In the XIIth century, Yacoub el-Mansour, the great Almohades conqueror chose it to be the symbol of his splendor.

But history had already been made at Rabat. The Marinades (XIIIth and XIVth century) honored the city by making it the site of the Chellah necropolis, building on the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Sale.

History has left its mark upon Rabat, and Rabat honors those who made it. As Yacoub el-Mansour is honored with the Hassan tower, dominating what should have been one of the greatest mosques in the Muslim world, or the mausoleum of the late King Mohammed V, architect of Moroccan independence in 1956 and the imposing

THE KASBAH OF THE OUDAYA

History stops in Rabat and does not leave. It appears on the corner of an alley, in a stall of oriental slippers and poufs fragrant with the scent of leather, in a carpet auction. It impregnates every stone of the Oudaya Kasbah, fortress of indomitable Andalous Corsairs of XVII century. Nothing is more pleasurable than imagining their exciting lives, delightfully installed at the Moorish coffee, savoring gazelle horns (Moroccan cake) with a mint tea, looking at the boats which dance in the Bou Regreg river at the bottom of the Sale city ramparts.

THE KING MOHAMMED V MAUSOLEUM

Here, everything is luxury and sophistication. The traditional Moroccan art is put on exhibit : under a gilt cupola made of mahogany and Lebanon cedar, arises the Royal sarcophagus of Pakistani white onyx (marble).

THE NECROPOLIS OF CHELLAH

Situated on the site of the ancient city of Sale, the Necropolis is located 2 km from the city center. Passing through the lovely door, you will discover a site overtaken by an exuberant vegetation.
You can distinguish tombs and a stone basin where there are fish and sacred turtles.
It was fed by a miraculous source where, according to legend, a golden fish lived. Further on, a minaret has partly maintained its multicolored decor. It is occupied now by storks.

Rabat hotels

ibis Moussafir Rabat

price for a couple:292.0 €

32-34, Rue Abderrahmanne, El Ghafiki, Rabat, Morocco

In the city centre, near the train station and in the residential and adminstrative district of Agdal

Mercure Rabat Sheherazade 2m

price for a couple 362.0 €

21 Rue De Tunis, Quartier Hassan, Rabat, Morocco
Situated in the heart of Rabat, the capital of Morocco in the residential quarter of Hassan only 5 min from the main historic monuments, business centre and 15 min from the royal golf course and the airport

Hilton Rabat

price for a couple 895.1
Po Box 450, Soisssi, Rabat, Morocco

The Hilton Rabat enjoys a prime location in the heart of Rabat with easy access to the administrative and business districts.

Next to a eucalyptus forest and set within a sumptuous environment of over 10 hectares, it is your gateway to Moroccan business and tradition, inviting you to discover this country's legendary hospitality.Museums and cultural attractions are nearby. The 269 rooms have modern facilities and offer magnificent views of the Andalucian-inspired gardens or of the Atlantic Ocean. There is a wide range of restaurants with Moroccan and international specialities. Business travellers can enjoy the hotel's meeting rooms and fully equipped Business Centre. Our Executive Floor provides a private Club Lounge, including complimentary breakfast, hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.The Hilton Rabat is the ideal destination for both business and leisure travellers. Indulge yourself in its luxurious atmosphere, with the assurance of warm hospitality and the best quality service

Sofitel Diwan Rabat

price for a couple 604.0 €

Place De L'Unite Africaine, Rabat, Morocco
This hotel is situated in the city center, near the embassies and government departments as well as the Royal Palace and the Hassan II mausoleum

La Tour Hassan Hotel

Founded in 1914 in the Hispano-Moresque style, La Tour Hassan Meridien has recently being renovated. The hotel offers 139 rooms with all amenities and is ideally located in the city centre. It offers excellent conference and leisure facilities, two restaurants and two bars.

rabat museums

OUDAYAS MUSEUM

The museum is situated in the opulent lodge built by Moulay Ismail in the XVIIth century as his Rabat residence. The garden is the first of its masterpieces. The exuberance of the vegetation softens the strict geometry of its paths. Flower beds, fountains and ramparts make it the very finest of all Andalusia gardens.

At the far end is a room reproducing an ancient Moroccan interior with a vast bay opening onto this glorious spectacle. Cushions in brocade, silk and gold cover the divans all around the room. A little further on, in a cool marble room, stand rows of very old illuminated Korans, jeweler, pottery and musical instruments.

the exceptional carpet collection deserves particular attention. The city style Rabat carpet can have as many as 150,000 stitches per square meter! The craftsmen - or rather the artists - have taken up traditional motifs and developed them

inventively. Using a less elaborate technique, the rural carpets, called Berbers, demonstrate a powerful sense of composition, color and ornamentation which is an art of its own with a unique appeal.

Archaeological museum

Built in 1932 and enlarged a few years later to display the finds resulting from intense archaeological research, this museum has housed the National Museum collections since 1986. It is one of the most sumptuous in Morocco and should certainly not be missed!

The prehistoric section brings together human remains from the middle Paleolithic period (probably Neanderthals) to the Neolithic (4000 B.C.), proving the continuity and size of the population at this time.

The Islamic archaeology section is constantly growing with finds coming from the excavations of VIIIth and IXth century sites. A good omen for the archaeological future!

Enabling us to have a clear idea of their potters, herdsmen, surgeons and bakers have left us the legacy of their tools, while their womenfolk have left us their jewellery and the animals their harnesses.
Pre-Roman and Roman civilizations are particularly well-represented by some of the finest pieces to have survived from those periods. there is a first-rate collection of Hellenistic-style bronzes, so exceptional that it is difficult to know where to look first: the "Drunken Donkey", passionately lyrical, an incomparable masterpiece from the time of Augustus, the "Volubilis Dog" with its stunning realism, the "Young man Crowned With Ivy", a marvel of elegance and grace and the "Heads of Young Berbers" in marble, remarkable for their technical perfection and the vigorous strength of their expression