Rabat: Morocco's out-of-the way modern capital rewards visitors

 

Landmarks such as this mural help visitors navigate the Rabat medina

A sleek electric tram runs parallel to a mile-long wall dating to the 17th century in Morocco's capital city of Rabat. 

The sand-colored wall -called the Andalusian Wall for the muslims who were expelled from Spain by Christian conquerers-  tells the story of a time when Rabat was established as a military base for launching campaigns into Spain. Defense was crucial to daily life.  

The Andalusian wall in Rabat

On one side of the wall is the modern city with wide streets lined with government buildings, parks and French cafes. On the other side is the medina, the historic old town where muslims expelled from Spain settled in the1600s. Today souks (shops) for locals and visitors as well as markets, hotels and homes are tucked into a maze of alleyways barely wide enough for pedestrians and bicycles.

Among the grand gates or arched passageways separating 21st century Rabat from life on the other side is the Bab el- Had, one of the original five fortified gates to the old city, set on massive square with elaborate wooden doors opening into the medina.

It's here my husband, Tom, and I meet Soufiane, a surfing instructor who moonlights as a walking tour guide for Freetour.com, a website that connects visitors with locals who work for tips.

We are in luck. Soulfiane tells us that six people have  signed up for his walking tour the next morning, but this afternoon, we are his only clients. He becomes our private tour guide for the next few hours as we follow him into the medina, and eventually outside the walls again, then inside another portal leading to the Kasbah. Once a 12th century former military fortress, it's  an exclusive neighborhood filled with gardens and homes overlooking the Bou Regreg River that feeds into the Atlantic ocean.  Soulfiane and his mother own a small store in the Kasbah. They are among just 200 or so Moroccans still living in the neighborhood, now mostly populated by wealthy diplomats. The doors or "gates" close at 11:30 p.m., and only residents  can get inside.

Surfer and tour guide Soufiane

 "There's no reason to go to Rabat,'' a seasoned English traveler whom we had met in Spain told us. He favored nearby Casablanca, Morocco's largest city with a population of about 3.7 million. But I had read blogs written by people who loved Rabat, finding it more organized, let hectic and less tainted by tourism than other parts of Morocco.  Now, walking with Soufiane through the medina, stopping to take pictures of an aging vendor who sets up shop every afternoon, making and frying "Moroccan donuts,"  we were glad we came. As the capital as well as Morocco's fifth-largest city (population 1.7 million), Rabat exists for Moroccans. Tourists who come here after spending time in Marrakesh will feel the difference. 

Donuts made from unsweetened yeast dough and fried

Vendors in the larger cities often cover their faces to avoid being photographed, but here people seemed more open. Soulfiane assured us it wasn't necessary to to buy anything, but of course, we did. 

Muslims in Rabat observe traditional Friday prayers at the mosques, with the faithful sometimes setting up prayer rugs on the sidewalks outside to accommodate the overflow. Couscous is traditionally cooked or served on Fridays, but unlike in other parts of the Muslim world, Moroccans' work on Fridays and take Saturdays and Sundays off. Women can choose to wear whatever they want, but both men and women tend to dress in traditional garb for Friday prayers.

Tucked into alleys are riads - traditionally-styled Moroccan hotels - and fine restaurants such as Dar Ziki, a charming restaurant tucked inside an old house with an open  courtyard. We went back twice for the vegetable and lamb tagines, Friday couscous and the date and nut pie. Our guesthouse was Dar Zouhour where suites with private baths surround a flowered courtyard. Breakfast was a mix of French and Moroccan treats, eggs, coffee and mint tea. Like most riads, it also served dinner on request.  

Breakfast at Dar Zouhour

Almost every city in Morocco has a Kasbah but the beautifully-restored Kasbah of the Oudayas in Rabat is unique. A UNESCO site named for the Udaya tribe, a group of soldiers settled here in the 17th century by Sultan Moulay Ismail. it's  now a peaceful neighborhood with gardens and white-and-blue houses, traditional Andalusian architecture—a legacy of Muslim refugees from Spain - and gardens created when Rabat was a French protectorate.

Its Moorish-style cafe is popular in the late afternoons for its sunset views and what Soulfiane called "Moroccan whiskey," cold tea served in tall glasses stuffed with fresh mint.

Entrance to the Kashah of the Oudayas

Fishing in the river below the Kashah

Rabat's other main sights are few, but impressive. At the recommendation of our riad, we hired a Velo (bicycle) taxi to take us to Chellah, a recently restored archeological site where nest atop ancient minarets set among Phoenician, Roman and Islamic-era ruins.

Ancient ruins in Chellah with the rocket-shaped Mohammed VI Tower in the distance. At 55 stories, it is the tallest building in Morocco

A stork sits atop an ancient minaret in Chellah

Our Velo taxi 

Our next stop was Hassan Tower. Commissioned by the sultan in 1195, it was intended to be the tallest minaret in the world, part of a grand mosque complex that was never completed. Construction halted in 1199 following the sultan's death, leaving the tower incomplete at 144 feet—about half of its intended 282-foot  height. Next to it is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. housing the tombs of King Mohammed V and his sons, King Hassan II and Prince Moulay Abdallah. Both are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a major draw for Moroccan pilgrims.

One of the things we enjoyed most about our three days in Rabat was becoming morning regulars at a cafe Soufiane recommended across from the Kasbah. We would walk from our hotel each morning, through the medina, using landmarks and a GPS as our guides, then exit through an archway across from the Kasbah. "Come once, and you're a stranger," the saying goes. "Come twice and you are a friend"

A young waitress who recognized us on our second morning approached Tom with a message translated from Arabic into English on her mobile phone. 

It read “You remind me of my grandfather, bless his soul. Could I take my photo with you?” Of course, he agreed.  It's moments like this that make the best travel memories.