Rabat, Morocco

Rabat is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, a country in North Africa, and that nation's administrative and political center. Rabat is well known for its many historical monuments and busy open-air markets, and its cosmopolitan, elegant, and relaxed character is often described as "European."

Landscape

Rabat is located on the northwestern coast of Morocco, on the Atlantic Ocean. The city is 92 kilometers (57 miles) north of Casablanca, Morocco's largest city and primary seaport, and 280 kilometers (174 miles) south of the city of Tangier. The river Bou Regreg, which opens into the Atlantic, divides Rabat from Salé, a nearby sister city whose history is intertwined with Rabat's. Together, Rabat and Salé occupy an area of about 1,275 square kilometers (492 square miles). Morocco has a subtropical climate, and Rabat experiences fairly dry weather, with moderate temperatures throughout most of the year.

There are three major districts in Rabat: the Medina, the Qasba des Oudaïa (also spelled Kasbah), and the modern quarter, built extensively by the French. The medina, Rabat's old city, lies on the coast and is bounded by a fortified wall that dates back to the twelfth century. The Qasba des Oudaïa is a seventeenth-century Islamic fortress that perches on a nearby cliff. It overlooks the Atlantic, Bou Regreg, and Salé.

Rabat's modern quarter, also known as the Ville Nouvelle, is located to the southwest of the medina. It houses a university, the national library, national theater, government buildings, and several embassies. In contrast with the narrow alleys of the old city, there are wide avenues designed by Morocco's French colonialists, lined with cafés, boutiques, museums, and palm trees. Just outside the southeast corner of the city lie the remains of an ancient Roman settlement known as Chellah.

People

The population of Rabat was roughly 1.959 million as of 2023. The majority of the city's residents, like the rest of the country, are of either Berber or Arab origin, or a mixture of the two. The city is also home to a number of African and European residents, as well as a small population of Jewish inhabitants. The vast majority of Rabat's residents are Sunni Muslims, and Judaism and Christianity are practiced by small minorities. Islam is the official language of Morocco.

The Berbers, also known as the "Imazhighen," are an ancient people whose presence in the region predates Arab settlement. Marriages between Arabs and Berbers since the seventh century have produced a population in which these two ethnic groups are mingled. Although many of Rabat's residents speak some form of Berber vernacular, most also speak Arabic, French, or both. Since Morocco's independence in 1956, the country's official language and the language of education and government has been Arabic.

Economy

While other Moroccan cities, such as Casablanca, contribute more significantly to the country's gross domestic product, Rabat's role in the national economy is important. A thriving textile industry produces high-quality carpets, blankets, and other products, and numerous factories process food products such as fruit and fish. The Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region also manufactures automobiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and aerospace equipment.

Because of Rabat's status as the capital and its role as the administrative center of Morocco, much of its economy depends on the workings of government departments. A large portion of the city's residents are civil servants. Tourism and the service industry also play a large part in the city's economy; Rabat has no shortage of hotels, and because it is linked to the rest of the country by road, railway, and air, it receives many tourists who are interested not only in Rabat itself, but who also move on to explore other Moroccan and North African cities.

In 2014, the Moroccan government undertook a five-year economic redevelopment program for Rabat. Among its plans were new cultural attractions, a mixed-use development, and several large-scale infrastructure projects, including highways, a tunnel, a tram, and an upgrade to its rail station to accommodate a new high-speed rail line connecting Rabat, Casablanca, and Tangier. The projects were expected to bring in foreign investment but also faced criticism for the lack of public input involved and few jobs they would likely create. The first portion of the high-speed rail network, the Al-Boraq line, opened in 2018. It links Tangier, Rabat, and Casablanca. Work toward additional high-speed rail construction was ongoing in the 2020s.

Landmarks

The Qasba des Oudaïa, Rabat's medieval city on a hill, is one of its most recognizable landmarks. Within the gates of the qasba are a grand palace, a large Andalusian garden, and a terrace from which visitors can view the beaches, river, and mosque below. The palace building was converted into a museum some time ago; its exhibits showcase traditional Moroccan clothing, jewelry, and musical instruments.

The most famous historical landmark in Rabat is the Hassan Tower, the minaret of the Hassan Mosque. The mosque was damaged beyond repair by a 1755 earthquake, leaving only a few pillars behind. The massive carved tower that remains rises a full 44 meters (more than 144 feet) above Bou Regreg. Opposite the Hassan tower is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a marble tomb whose inner walls are decorated with intricate tiled mosaics. The late king of Morocco, Hassan II, lies entombed there.

The ruins of Chellah, an ancient Roman settlement south of the city, date back to the second century BCE. Among the remains are a temple and a forum. Chellah was abandoned in the twelfth century, but two hundred years later one of Rabat's sultans built a beautiful gate around it and added a minaret inside it. Across the river, the walled city of Salé is an enclave of traditional ancient architecture; its main attractions include the Grande Mosque and three shrines, including the Zawiya of Sidi Abdallah ibn Hassoun.

Besides archaeological monuments, Rabat is home to several museums, including the Archeology Museum and the Museum of Science and Nature. The prize exhibit in the former is a collection of ancient Roman artifacts, and the latter contains an impressive reconstructed Atlasaurus skeleton. Another museum in the city is the Currency Museum, located at the Bank Al-Maghrib. In addition, Rabat's medina, though relatively small, is lined with busy stalls selling everything from embroidery to carpets to brass bowls.

History

Archaeological evidence suggests that the earliest inhabitants of the Rabat area were people from Phoenicia and Carthage. In 40 CE, Roman forces took over a settlement known as Chellah on the southern side of the Bou Regreg river, which expanded and flourished for more than nine hundred years.

Eventually, the area fell under Berber control around 250 CE, and became the heart of a Berber kingdom. The Berbers moved their settlement across the river to Salé in 1154 CE, but a new city was founded on the southern bank by Islamic Almohad ruler 'Abd al-Mu'min (from the twelfth-century Almohad dynasty) engaged in a Spanish jihad, as he needed a place where his troops could be housed.

It was Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur, one of the successors of this Almohad ruler, who named the city Ribat al-Fath ("Camp of Conquest"). It was also al-Mansur who constructed the medina's high walls and built the gate of the qasba. During his rule, the city flourished and the construction of the Hassan Mosque and Tower began. After al-Mansur's death, Rabat's fortunes waned.

In the seventeenth century, Rabat began an unusual new life: a powerful band of pirates from North Africa moved into the settlement, installed themselves in the qasba, and used Rabat as a base for their exploits. The pirates sailed out into the Atlantic and Mediterranean to steal from traveling merchant ships that were bringing gold from the Americas to Europe. Piracy continued to be a problem in the region for about two hundred years.

Spanish and Portuguese forces had held control over various regions in Morocco since the fifteenth century, and in the early twentieth century, French troops invaded the country. The French captured Rabat in 1912, making the city the seat of their power in Morocco.

The German occupation of Morocco during World War II set the stage for the country's path toward self-rule. By the time Morocco gained its independence in 1956, Rabat—which was already the center of government and the home of Morocco's king—became its official capital. Afterward, the city flourished both economically and culturally.

In 2012, the entire city of Rabat was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Following the Arab Spring of 2011, a protest movement that toppled governments across the Middle East but not Morocco, Rabat has been the site of periodic protests over various issues, such as youth unemployment, the 2018 imprisonment of Berber activist leaders, teachers' working conditions, and the need for more widespread French-language curriculum. A consumer boycott also affected Rabat businesses in mid-2018.

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