Sights in Rabat
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Chellah
Abandoned, crumbling and overgrown, the Merenid necropolis of Chellah is one of Rabat’s most evocative sights.
reviewed
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Kasbah des Oudaias
This occupies the oldest part of the city, the site of the original ribat, and commands powerful views over the river and ocean from its cliff-top perch. The kasbah is predominately residential and the narrow streets are lined with whitewashed houses - most of which were built by Muslim refugees from Spain. It's a tranquil and picturesque place to wander and there's no need for a guide. Ignore anyone who advises you that the kasbah is 'forbidden'.
The most dramatic entry to the kasbah is through the enormous Almohad gate of Bab Oudaia, built in 1195. Its location, facing the heart of the city and just outside the original palace, made it more ceremonial than defensive and…
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Le Tour Hassan
Le Tour Hassan. Towering above the Oued Bou Regreg is Rabat's most famous landmark. This enormous minaret was begun by the Almohad sultan Yacoub al-Mansour in 1195 and was intended to reach 60m, making it the largest and highest in the Muslim world. However, the sultan's grand plans were thwarted by his death four years later, and the tower was never completed. Abandoned at 44m, the beautifully designed and intricately carved tower still lords over the remains of the adjacent mosque.
The mosque was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755, and today only a forest of shattered pillars testifies to the grandiosity of Al-Mansour's plans.
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St Agatha’s Crypt & Catacombs
St Agatha’s Crypt & Catacombs are interesting as they contain a series of remarkable frescoes dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries. According to legend, these catacombs were the hiding place of St Agatha when she fled Sicily. Tours of the catacombs are conducted regularly and explain the history of the site and point out features of the artwork. Back at ground level is a quirky little museum containing everything from fossils and minerals to coins, church vestments and Etruscan, Roman and Egyptian artefacts. Note that from October to June the complex is closed between noon and 1pm.
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Domus Romana
The Domus Romana, also called the Roman House, was built in the 1920s to incorporate the excavated remains of a large Roman townhouse from the 1st century BC. The centrepiece is the original peristyle court (formerly an open courtyard surrounded by columns). The mosaic floor has a geometric border around an image of two birds perched on a water bowl, known as the Drinking Doves of Sosos; a cistern in one corner collected rainwater. There are additional mosaic fragments and artefacts from Malta’s Roman period, including sculptures, amphorae, pottery fragments and oil lamps.
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Flea Market
This is an interesting place to wander, it descends towards the river. If you want to keep exploring, turning north along Rue des Consuls, you'll be surrounded by colourful carpets, leatherworks, babouches (leather slippers) and copper crafts. It's one of the more interesting areas of the medina for travellers with many original diplomatic residencies still intact.
After the carpet souq, the street ends in an open area lined with craft shops which was the setting for the slave auctions in the days of the Sallee Rovers. From here you can make your way up the hill to the kasbah.
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Archaeology Museum
Dusty and forlorn but interesting (even if the labels are only in French), the Archaeology Museum gives a good account of Morocco’s history. Prehistoric finds include a beautiful neolithic rock carving of a man surrounded by concentric circles. The highlight of the collection is the Salle des Bronzes, which displays ceramics, statuary and artefacts from the Roman settlements at Volubilis, Lixus and Chellah. Look out for the beautiful head of Juba II and the unforgiving realism of the bust of Cato the Younger – both found at Volubilis.
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Grotto of St Paul
Beside St Paul’s Church, stairs lead down into the Grotto of St Paul, a cave where the saint is said to have preached during his stay in Malta. The statue of St Paul was gifted by the Knights in 1748, while the silver ship to its left was added in 1960 to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the saint’s shipwreck. Come in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the tour groups that congest the narrow space.
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Mausoleum of Mohammed V
Near the Le Tour Haasan [Hassan Tower], stands the marble Mausoleum of Mohammed V, built in traditional Moroccan style. The present king’s father (the late Hassan II) and grandfather have been laid to rest here. The decoration, despite the patterned zellij and carved plaster, gives off an air of tranquillity. Visitors to the mausoleum must be respectfully dressed, and can look down into the tomb from a gallery.
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St Paul’s Catacombs
St Paul’s Catacombs, dated from the 3rd century AD, were rediscovered in 1894. There’s not a lot to see in the labyrinth of rock-cut tombs, narrow stairs and passages, but it’s fun to explore (note that there are a number of uneven surfaces, so mind your step). Admission includes a self-guided, 45-minute audio tour available in a handful of languages.
reviewed
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Museum of Science and Nature
This museum lies squirreled away in the government administrative buildings. The museum explains the history of the earth's geology but is most noted for the reconstructed skeleton of the giant dinosaur Atlasaurus imelakei (Giant Lizard of the Atlas) found in the High Atlas in 1979. The massive beast measured 15m long and roamed the earth 165 million years ago.
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Walled Medina
This is a rich mixture of spices, carpets, crafts, cheap shoes and bootlegged DVDs. It was built on an orderly grid in the 17th century and lacks a little of the more colourful character of the older medinas of the interior. However, it's a great place to roam with no aggressive selling and far more locals than tourists wandering the narrow streets.
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Musée des Oudaia
The Kasbah des Oudaias, itself is a grand 17th-century affair built by Moulay Ismail, now houses the Musée des Oudaia - the national jewellery museum with a beautifully displayed and fascinating collection of prehistoric, Roman and Islamic jewellery found in the different regions of Morocco.
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Wignacourt Museum
Signposted from the main square is the Wignacourt Museum, a real hotchpotch collection that’s worth a browse. It encompasses more Christian catacombs from around the 4th century, a WWII air-raid shelter, a baroque chapel, religious icons and vestments, and changing art exhibitions.
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Plateforme du Sémaphore
Opening out at the end of a street is a wide grassy area where the provides an incredible vista over the estuary and across to Salé. The elevated position provided an excellent defence against seagoing attackers negotiating the sandbanks below.
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Salle des Bronzes
You'll find ceramics, statuary and artefacts from the Roman settlements at Volubilis, Lixus and Chellah on display. Look out for the beautiful head of Juba II and the unforgiving realism of the bust of Cato the Younger - both found at Volubilis.
reviewed
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Grande Mosquée
This mosque, a 14th-century Merenid original much rebuilt in the intervening years, is just down the road from the Souq as-Sebbat on the right hand side.
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Andalusian Gardens
These gardens, laid out by the French during the colonial period, occupy the grounds of Kasbah des Oudaias and make a wonderful shady retreat.
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Galérie d'Art Nouiga
Galérie d'Art Nouiga is an art gallery nestled amongst some tourist shops in the oldest part of the city.
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Casa Bernard
From the Domus Romana, walk south along Triq San Pawl for around 200m to reach Casa Bernard. You’ll be personally guided through this privately owned 16th-century pallazzi by one of the home’s charming owners, who will explain the history of the mansion and the impressive personal collection of art, objets d’art, furniture, silver and china.
reviewed
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