Day 6 of Moroccan Vacation: Rabat on February 10th, 2017

Sixth day in Morocco as we woke up to a rainy morning.
The plan of the day was to visit the attractions in the city of Rabat before hopping on an evening train to Meknes.

Riad Decorations


Riad Decorations



The images in this post are hosted on Imgur. Email me should there be any display problems.

Our first stop of the day was Kasbah des Oudaias, a sea-side fortress where Bou Regreg River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Kasbah des Oudaias was just next to Rabat Medina, not a long walk from the riad where we spent the night.

If one were to attribute a color to Rabat’s Medina, it should be white, like the paint they applied to the alley walls. A fitting color for a rainy morning, just like the color of the skies.

Streets of Rabat Medina


Streets of Rabat Medina


Streets of Rabat Medina


Streets of Rabat Medina


Islamic Shape Gate in Medina


Islamic Shape Gate in Medina


Hotel outside Rabat Medina


Hotel outside Rabat Medina
Doors lovingly decorated with Islamic patterns.


Avenue Al Marsa


Avenue Al Marsa

Kasbah des Oudaias

Kasbah des Oudaias


Kasbah des Oudaias

Before heading into Kasbah des Oudaias we made a brief visit to Bab Oudaya Art Gallery(free), where the only art really mattered was their rooftop view. (One can barely call their splashes of paint as “modern art”.)
The residents of Kasbah des Oudaias all chose to paint their houses in blue and white, the color of the sea and the sky. Walking among those houses was like wandering in a fairytale story. However, I didn’t think the residents would bother to clean and maintain their rooftops, so we gently turned down the gallery manager’s invitation of rooftop visit (that of course came with a price).

Gate of Kasbah des Oudaias


Gate of Kasbah des Oudaias
Typical Arabic city gate with relief of Islamic patterns.


Streets


Streets


Streets


Streets


Streets


Streets


Minaret of Al Kasbah Mosque


Minaret of Al Kasbah Mosque
The little village was so indulged in blue and white that even the mosque buildings were painted in these colors, although their minaret remained in typical Moroccan color.


Streets


Streets


Bou Regreg River into Atlantic Ocean


Bou Regreg River into Atlantic Ocean


Bou Regreg River into Atlantic Ocean


Bou Regreg River into Atlantic Ocean


Buildings near Atlantic Ocean


Buildings near Atlantic Ocean
This building should be part of the coastal defense, so it’s understandable that it’s not painted in the typical blue and white.


Streets


Streets


Streets


Streets
Some street artist’s vision.


Cats Resting in Building Doorway


Cats Resting in Building Doorway

Andalusian Gardens

Not long after that we wandered into Andalusian Gardens, which was laid out by the French during the colonial period and made wonderful retreat during the hot days. However, that morning we were shivering in the wind and rain from the Atlantic Ocean, so we didn’t stay there for long.

Tree and Flowers


Tree and Flowers


Flowers and Tower


Flowers and Tower


Orange Tree


Orange Tree
With fallen oranges all over the place. The workers here never seemed to mind eating them.


Fountain


Fountain


Buildings along Andalusian Gardens


Buildings along Andalusian Gardens


Andalusian Gardens


Andalusian Gardens


Cat Resting


Cat Resting
It must be hiding from the rain.


Renovations at Kasbah des Oudaias


Renovations at Kasbah des Oudaias
Just put whatever materials at the side of the road, typical third-world style.

Our next stop of the day was Hassan Tower. But before heading there we made a brief detour back to the riad because it was raining and we didn’t bring our umbrellas (we were over-confident when we set out).

Streets of Rabat Medina


Streets of Rabat Medina


Fireplace in our Riad


Fireplace in our Riad


Decorated Gate in Medina


Decorated Gate in Medina


Flying Arches


Flying Arches


Streets of Rabat Medina


Streets of Rabat Medina


Rabat Medina Wall


Rabat Medina Wall


Snails


Snails


Jardin Tour Hassan


Jardin Tour Hassan
This seemed to be private garden reserved for Moroccan royals.

Hassan Tower

Hassan Tower was the minaret of an incomplete Mosque ordered by Sultan Yacub al-Mansour. Aimed to be the world’s largest mosque and minaret, its construction was halted after the death of Sultan Yacub al-Mansour. Today the columns standing on the site were the remains of the incomplete initial mosque.

Hassan Tower with Surrounding Columns


Hassan Tower with Surrounding Columns


Fountain below Hassan Tower


Fountain below Hassan Tower


Columns by Hassan Tower


Columns by Hassan Tower


Fountain below Hassan Tower


Fountain below Hassan Tower


Hassan Tower with Surrounding Columns


Hassan Tower with Surrounding Columns

Mausoleum of Mohammed V

At the site there was also Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the last King of Morocco was buried there. When it’s open to the public, visitors can see the tombs of King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah, together with a ever-present Koran reader paid for by the state.
However, on that morning, we found the Mausoleum of Mohammed V fenced off, and didn’t find its entrance. (We guessed there was some public events going on, as we saw later there were people in costumes on horses.)
We saw a nearby entrance towards Al-Hassan Mosque (which could be connected to Mausoleum of Mohammed V), but it was a rainy morning and we didn’t want to take off our shoes to leave them in the rain, so we skipped it.

Mausoleum of Mohammed V


Mausoleum of Mohammed V


Mausoleum of Mohammed V and Al-Hassan Mosque


Mausoleum of Mohammed V and Al-Hassan Mosque


Floor Decoration


Floor Decoration


Horsemen in Traditional Moroccan Costumes


Horsemen in Traditional Moroccan Costumes


Constructions in Bou Regreg River Valley


Constructions in Bou Regreg River Valley


Fruits on Rabat Street Tree


Fruits on Rabat Street Tree


Fruits on Rabat Street Tree


Fruits on Rabat Street Tree


Bou Regreg River Valley


Bou Regreg River Valley


Railway Extending from Bou Regreg River Valley


Railway Extending from Bou Regreg River Valley

Our next stop of the day was Chellah, a Roman and Arab ruins located just outside city center. It was already 12 o’clock so we decided to finish our lunch first. However, we first walked through some upscale embassy district, with literally no restaurants, not even a store front.

Bou Regreg River Valley


Bou Regreg River Valley


Embassy Buildings


Embassy Buildings


Garden of Former Residence of Hubert Lyautey


Garden of Former Residence of Hubert Lyautey
A French Army general and colonial administrator, now this garden seemed to be guarded by troops and closed to the public.

Finally, we located a restaurant called Le Boursier in a more residential part of central Rabat, which was sandwiched in Rabat Royal Palace and the embassy district. On this aspect, the city of Rabat wasn’t that tourist-friendly.

Lunch Pizza


Lunch Pizza


Lunch Barbecue


Lunch Barbecue


Residential Building in Central Rabat


Residential Building in Central Rabat
Finally, we left the upscale embassy district, and got to a more local neighborhood where there were restaurants.


Le Boursier Restaurant Exterior


Le Boursier Restaurant Exterior
They used canvas to keep out rain and wind, and keep its interior warm.

After lunch, we walked in the drizzle to Chellah.

Park in Central Rabat


Park in Central Rabat


Entrance towards a Police Academy


Entrance towards a Police Academy
Judging by its guards and people in uniform hanging around it (it’s lunch time) and its proximity to the Royal Palace in Rabat, we guessed it’s a police academy or police station.

Chellah

Chellah was first a trading site of the Phoenicians, then colony of the Roman, later conquered by the Arabs. It housed the tombs of Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman, known as the Black Sultan.
But to this day, the walled premises of Chellah was mostly occupied with trees and flowers. Whatever buildings left were too much in ruins to afford any restoration, so the local people just left them there in decay.

Flowers


Flowers


Bee Flying in Flowers


Bee Flying in Flowers


Trail


Trail


Tree


Tree
We were pretty curious about its almost-perpendicular branches.


Plants


Plants


Artist Neighborhood


Artist Neighborhood


Rape Flowers


Rape Flowers


Remains of Roman Sculpture


Remains of Roman Sculpture


Minaret


Minaret

Many cranes inhabited and nested at the actual Arab remains site. And those cranes made the most appalling animal sound that I ever heard of. But maybe without those winged creatures the Chellah remains would be too much dreadfully silent.

Chellah Remains


Chellah Remains


Remains of Mosque


Remains of Mosque


Remains of Mosque


Remains of Mosque


Remains of Mosque


Remains of Mosque


Tomb of Black Sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman


Tomb of Black Sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman


Tomb of Black Sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman


Tomb of Black Sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman


Tombs


Tombs


Cranes Standing on Walls of Chellah Remains


Cranes Standing on Walls of Chellah Remains


Plants


Plants


Trail


Trail


Stores


Stores


Steles in Cellah Forum


Steles in Cellah Forum


Roman Stores


Roman Stores


Pond of Eel


Pond of Eel
In this pond some sacred eels were raised.


Building by Pond of Eel


Building by Pond of Eel
This looked like a Mosque but I’m not sure. An old lady that lived here, who also raised a lot of cats.


Walls of Chellah


Walls of Chellah


Entrance Gate of Chellah under Renovation


Entrance Gate of Chellah under Renovation

It was a rainy afternoon, and there weren’t many visitors to the Chellah ruins. There were some local people (presumably unlicensed tour guides) hiding out the rain beneath its magnificent entrance walls. I’m not sure the sound the rain was adding to or breaking the tranquility.

Towers by Chellah Entrance under Renovation


Towers by Chellah Entrance under Renovation

Our next and final stop of the day was Rabat’s Royal Palace located not far from the Chellah ruins.

Street Trees


Street Trees
It’s just outside Rabat’s Royal Palace, so those trees were well-trimmed.

Rabat Royal Palace

Tourists could only enter Rabat’s Royal Palace through a designated gate. The Palace grounds were open for free, but there’s a police station just nearby where one must put his passport there as a security deposit (how third-world is that?). As for the actual Royal Palace, well, since the Royals still lived there, some photos at its threshold were as far as a tourist can get.

Government Building in Rabat Royal Palace


Government Building in Rabat Royal Palace


Ahl Fas Mosque


Ahl Fas Mosque


Gate of Ahl Fas Mosque


Gate of Ahl Fas Mosque
In typical Islamic shape.


Ahl Fas Mosque


Ahl Fas Mosque


Rabat Royal Palace Building


Rabat Royal Palace Building


Roads in Rabat Royal Palace


Roads in Rabat Royal Palace


Roads in Rabat Royal Palace


Roads in Rabat Royal Palace

After that, we took a taxi back to Rabat Medina, picked up our bags and headed for the train station for Meknes.
Amazingly, taxis in Rabat seemed to have their built-in share-riding meter that far antedated Uber. We learned this when our previous passenger got off, and we found the meter didn’t jump back to the flag-down rate.

Rabat Medina Entrance


Rabat Medina Entrance


Shops and Vendors in Rabat Medina


Shops and Vendors in Rabat Medina

So after arriving back at our riad, we stayed in the courtyard for more time, resting our legs and warming our bodies by the fireplace, while enjoying the 10-dirham-per-kilogram strawberry like crazy that my friend found along the way.

Riad Courtyard


Riad Courtyard
Lovingly decorated


Sofa in Riad Courtyard


Sofa in Riad Courtyard


Riad Entrance


Riad Entrance

20 minutes later, we left our riad headed for Rabat Ville Railway Station.

Avenue Mohammed V


Avenue Mohammed V


Morocco Parliament Building


Morocco Parliament Building

At the train station, we purchased tickets for the next train bound for Meknes. If everything was right, we should board the train in like 5 minutes. However, this is Morocco, and the previous two train rides gave us the illusion that trains were pretty much on time (because we boarded at the first station along the route), which weren’t.

Rabat Ville Railway Station


Rabat Ville Railway Station


Rabat Ville Railway Station


Rabat Ville Railway Station


Train at Rabat Ville Railway Station


Train at Rabat Ville Railway Station


Our Train to Meknes Arriving at Rabat Ville Railway Station


Our Train to Meknes Arriving at Rabat Ville Railway Station

So after like 40 or so minutes behind schedule, our (fully-packed) train finally arrived. And it’s not fun at all to stand at the ends of a fully-packed carriage with a giant suitcase for two hours.
Oh, and the taxis at Meknes train station never used meter, typical Morocco style.
But somehow that night, we managed to get to our riad in Meknes, and called it a day.
END

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Day 6 of Moroccan Vacation: Rabat on February 10th, 2017 by Huang's Site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *