Major Tourist Attractions In Rabat

Rabat has a 2500-year history, from the time that the Phoenicians were around. Rabat’s fortunes declined in the following eras, but it retains the mark of its long and colourful past. Today, Rabat is a modern administrative centre where you can spend a day or two exploring some of this past.

Around the 12th century, under the Almohad sultan Yacoub al-Mansour, were built magnificent structures like the Oudaia Gate, the Chellah gate and the Tour Hassan . 

The walled medina (old quarter) is a good place to shop for the famed Moroccan carpets. The Kasbah des Oudaias is worth visiting not just for the very pleasing Andalusian Gardens or for the fact that it overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, but for the gigantic Bab Oudaia (the Oudaia Gate mentioned above) built in 1195. The Bab Oudaia is arguably the most exquisite gate in the Moorish world, wowing visitors over the ages with the timeless and classic simplicity of its typically Islamic design.

 The Tour Hassan, the most striking structure in Rabat’s skyline, is an enormous unfinished minaret built by Sultan Yacoub al-Mansour in 1195. Each facade pf the minaret boasts a distinct combination of patterning but closer investigation reveals that the complex design of blind arcades and interlacing curves repeats just two formal patterns. The minaret is allegedly the most sophisticated Almohad structure. 

The Mausoleum of Mohammed V stands close by to the Tour. The remains of the ancient Roman city of Sala Colonia are located at the end of Ave Yacoub al-Mansour, and are interesting to stroll around in. Do not miss the Archaeology Museum in Rabat – it is the best of its kind in Morocco.