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Hotel Villa Mandarine
Prices from: 180€
“A garden that has given life to a hotel”. Pure luxury.
Read more/ Reserve
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Welcome to Rabat
The capital of Morocco , the centre of commerce and diplomacy, and one of the 4 Imperial Cities.
A city for monument lovers!
Major Sites
- Hassan Tower
- Mausoleum of Mohammed V
- Mohammed V University
- Chellah necropoli
Introduction
Often overshadowed by nearby Casablanca - so much bigger and so much more of a household name - Rabat must be one of the less known country capitals of the world.
If Casablanca had not had its harbour, nobody would ever think this to be the capital, as so many still assume. But you only have to arrive in Rabat, Imperial City of monuments, banks and diplomatic areas, to realise this is definitely the capital, culturally, politically, and definitely when it comes to the beauty of the city.
Rabat is at only half an hour by train from Casablanca in the south, and just a couple of hours to both Tangier in the north, and Meknès en Fès in the north east. Did you know by the way that trains in Morocco run punctual, and are a very pleasant way of travelling.
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Facts
Rabat, population 1.2 million (2005 estimate), is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco . It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region.
The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg On the facing shore of the river lies Salé , Rabat's bedroom community . Together the two cities account for a population of 1.3 million. Unfortunately, silting problems have diminished the city's role as a port; however, Rabat and Salé still maintain relatively important textile, food processing and construction industries; some are from sweatshop labor by major multinational corporations.
In addition, tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat the second most important city in the country after the larger and more economically significant Casablanca.
History
Rabat's history began with a settlement, known as Chellah on the banks of the Oued Bou Regreg in the third century BC. In 40 AD, Romans took over Chellah and converted it to the Roman settlement of Sala Colonia. Rome held the colony until 250 AD when they abandoned it to Berber rulers. The Berbers played an important role in Muslim Spain. In 1146, the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min turned Rabat's ribat into a full scale fortress to use as a launching point for attacks on Spain . In 1170, due to its military importance, Rabat acquired the title Ribatu l-Fath, meaning "stronghold of victory," from which it gets its current name.
Yaqub al-Mansur (known as Moulay Yacoub in Morocco), another Almohad Caliph, moved the capital of his empire to Rabat. He built Rabat's city walls and began construction on what would have been the world's largest mosque. However, Yaqub died and construction stopped. The ruins of the unfinished mosque, including the Hassan Tower, still stand today.
The French invaded Morocco in 1912 and established a protectorate. The French administrator of Morocco, General Hubert Lyautey , decided to relocate the country's capital from Fez to Rabat. Among other factors, rebellious Berbers (native Moroccans) had made Fez an unstable place. Sultan Moulay Youssef followed the decision of the French and moved his residence to Rabat. In 1913, Gen. Lyautey hired Henri Prost who designed the Ville Nouvelle (Rabat's modern quarter) as an administrative sector. When Morocco achieved independence in 1956 , Mohammed V the then King of Morocco, chose to have the capital remain at Rabat.
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