Moroccan Odyssey Day 8

Morocco Day 8: Rabat

Our first stop this morning was the Royal Palace, the official residence of the King of Morocco.The current palace was built in 1864 by Sultan Mohammed IV on the site of an earlier 18th-century palace.The royal family’s residence is within a vast complex that also includes government offices, guesthouses, a mosque, and the College Royal (a school for royal family members). It is surrounded by homes of the people that work in the palace, from the maids to government officials, all of whom live rent free.

Entrance to the palace grounds

After leaving the palace we had great views of two of the distinctive modern buildings in Rabat.

The opera house, Grand Théâtre de Rabat, was constructed between 2014 and 2021 and is part of Mohammed VI's cultural-infrastructure initiative  aiming to elevate the cultural and artistic profile of Rabat. It seats 1600 people and is said to be inspired by the adjacent Bou Regreg River (the boundary between Rabat and the bedroom community of Salee) or the head of a cobra.  I'm not sure I can actually see either one.

Mohammed VI Tower is the tallest building in Africa, 820 feet high with 55 stories. Construction began in 2018 and was completed in 2013. The building combines hotel and conference center with offices and luxury apartments on the upper floors. Its slender, tapering form is inspired by a traditional minaret, The exterior  is covered with glass panels designed to reflect the sky and river. Its design integrates sustainability principles — it was conceived to meet LEED Gold and HQE (High Environmental Quality) standards, including solar panels, rainwater recycling, and natural ventilation systems.The tower serves as a symbol of modern Morocco, representing progress and environmental consciousness under King Mohammed VI’s urban renewal vision. (info thanks to Chat GPT).

Next we hit the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Mohammed V was the George Washington of modern Morocco (actually called "the father of his nation"). He was a member of the Alaouite dynasty, which has ruled Morocco since the 17th century. He became Sultan in 1927 at just 18 years old, during the period when Morocco was a French Protectorate (1912–1956). In 1947 he made a famous speech declaring the right for Morocco to be independent from France, and was subsequently exiled to Madagascar by the French in 1953.  Growing nationalistic pressure forced the French to allow his return in 1957 and finally independence from France.

During WWII he stood out as one of the few leaders that defied the Nazi's.When France’s collaborationist government tried to impose anti-Jewish laws in Morocco, he refused to enforce them, reportedly saying, “There are no Jews in Morocco, only Moroccan subjects.” His defiance saved Moroccan Jews from the holocaust.

On the mausoleum grounds, there is an unfinished minaret. It’s not part of the mausoleum itself but rather the remains of a much older, 12th-century project known as the Hassan Tower. Its construction began in 1195 by Sultan Yaqub al-Mansur, ruler of the Almohad dynasty, and was meant to be the minaret of the largest mosque in the world at that time. It was planned to be about 250' tall, but construction stopped at 140'. When Sultan died in 1199, construction on the mosque stopped and the project lost funding. Later, several earthquakes damaged the incomplete structure, especially the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which brought down many of the mosque’s columns and walls.

The remains include hundreds of stone columns marking where the mosque’s prayer hall once stood, as well as the unfinished minaret.

 

We then began a walking tour of the Rabat Kasbah. Perched on a cliff overlooking the Bou Regreg River and the Atlantic Ocean, at the northern edge of the medina, the Kasbah dates back to the 12th century, founded by the Almohads as a military fortress.

Standing at the entrance to the kasbah is the Bab Oudaïa Gate, one of Morocco’s finest examples of early Islamic architecture dating back to the 12th century with  carved  arabesques and Kufic inscriptions — 

From the battlements of the kasbah, the point at which the mouth of the Bou Regreg River  empties into the Atlantic. This was an obvious strategic position  for protecting the river and upstream settlements.

Within the kasbah was the Andalusian Gardens, 17th-century gardens planted with orange trees, palms, and bougainvillea somewhat reminiscent of the Al Hambra in Spain.

Entrance to the gardens

We had a late lunch (pizza, NOT tagine!) along the river and watched the boat traffic and kids playing in the water.  The boats were mainly water taxis, traditional wooden boats (floukas) powered by small motors; some are rowboats still used by local ferrymen.

Before dinner, Jeri, Suzanne, and Molly went for a walk in the souk.  Rich, Dave, and I were sure we would have to send out a search party, but they happily surprised us by returning, evenjwith some great pictures!