Morocco - Rabat
Welcome to the Imperial City of
Rabat the Capital of Morocco.
The long history of this city
dates easly back to the seventh century, when as Mauritanian
trading post on the river Bou Regreg it was the centre of commerce
for the West coast of Africa. The city went through many changes
of hands after these times from the Carthaginians to the Romans
before it was used as a fortress with the name of Ribat El Fath
in the 12th century by Yacoub El Mansour in his conquest of
Spain.
For the next 300 years the city fell into its dark ages as the
Moor empire was destroyed by the European countries. By the
15 century only the Oudayas Kasbah was still inhabited. A law
by Phillip II of Spain in 1609, expelled the Moors from his
kingdom and obliged thousands of Andalucians to go to Morocco.
They then built a new city to the south of the Kasbah, enclosing
it with Almohade wall, which still surrounds the medina today.
Then in 1912, General Lyautey, France's
first resident general in Morocco, made the decision to once
again relieve Marrakech of its capital
status and pass it over to Rabat. From this time onwards Rabat
was the undisputed capital off Morocco.
See and do in Rabat
Here in the maze of streets
and squares making up the city including; the Oudayas Kasbah,
The Medina, Mausolum Mohammed V, Tour Hassan and The Royal
Palace where you can see and smell flora collected from the four
corners of the world giving a feeling of relaxation and security
to the residence of the King and the center of Moroccan government.
The beaches of Harhoura, Temara,
Sables d'Or, Sid Abed,Val d'Or, Kasbah, Rose Marie, Skhirat
and Bouznika are the surf spots of Rabat
The 45 holes of Royal Golf Dar
Es-Salam is where the Hassan II Trophy tees off each year.
