Tuesday, Sept 17th, Rabat, Morocco

Greetings!

Outside of Rabat is a Roman settlement (Sala Colonia) which was built before 350 AD near the River Buragrag.  Protected by the high walls of the City of Chella, two miles from the ocean, it had previously been a Phoenician port.

The sites we visited today allowed us to see the constructions and occupations of a thousand years of Umayyad, Almoravid, Almohad, Marinid, Sharif, and Alaouite dynastic control.

Traveling on, we stopped by the Royal Mausoleum in Rabat where Mohammed V, his son Hassan II, and his son Moulay Abdullah are entombed. 

Nearby is the Hassan Tower, commissioned by Yaqub al-Mansur (the Victorius) to celebrate his victory over the King of Castile.  Only completed to half its original design height (88 meters), it was abandoned when Yaqub died and his successors moved their capital to Sale.

The tower was ascended by a ramp large enough for a horseman to reach the top.  The 348 stone columns in front of the Tower were to form the foundation of his unfinished Great Mosque.

As usual, after an afternoon return to the hotel, we joined together in the evening for a wonderful orientation dinner at Dinarjat in Rabat.  One of the highest rated restaurants in town, we enjoyed the food and entertainment.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on: Tuesday, Sept 17th, Rabat, Morocco.