Discover Morocco with the Help of Hostelling International – Part 4

But before we continue with “what” part, it’s only fitting to also answer the “when” part. Just like Casablanca, Rabat also lies on the Atlantic coast, making it suitable for visiting all year round. The summer temperatures are pleasant and reach 10 degrees below those in most European cities. Winter temperatures, on the other hand, are that much higher.

Rabat, meaning fortified city, is located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river that separates the city from Salé.

The city was founded in the 12th century by the first caliph of the Almohad dynasty as a fortified monastery (ribāṭ) that would host troops in the jihad against Spain. The great wall still surrounds the old town (medina) that grew next to it. The city was an important port in the later centuries but, due to the siltation of the river mouth, it gradually lost that role. It’s mostly an important political centre nowadays and, apart from the government, numerous foreign embassies and several international organisations have their offices there.

Oudaias Kasbah, a fortress from the 11th century, proudly towers over the harbour that is laced with narrow streets and that still shows noticeable traits of Andalusia. I recommend visiting this part of the city in the evening when the streets become even more filled with life. Besides having great historical and cultural importance, Oudaias Kasbah is also an incredible spot for taking top-notch photos.

The next two attractions are so close you’ll no doubt be visiting both. They’re the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The tower is, in fact, an unfinished minaret of an unconstructed mosque that was commissioned by the Almohad sultan Jacob Almanzor in 1184. According to his plans, when finished, the minaret would be the tallest in the world and the adjoining mosque the largest, but the construction works stopped at the height of 44m after the sultan had died.
The next must-see spot is the Chellah Necropolis where, contrary to the above-mentioned attractions, you’ll have to pay admission, but, despite the entrance fee (around 10 euros), the necropolis is still worth visiting. It was formed on top of the remains of an ancient Roman settlement known as Sala Colonia, though very little remains have been found, even though the site had been a port for about 1,500 years and had been ruled by the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Berbers and finally by the Arabs.

Similar to other Moroccan cities, Rabat, too, has its own medina, which doesn’t lack restaurants, shops, stands and also mosques.

In addition to all this, the city also offers a range of museums, galleries, mosques and other attractions that call for a prolonged visit to the Moroccan capital. You can stay at a youth hostel, not far from the entrance to the medina, where you can access most landmarks without using transport.

There are, of course, many more famous cities in Morocco, but I’ll only list them here, even though I could write a whole travelogue about them. Among these is undoubtedly another royal city, Meknes, and there are others, smaller ones too, each with their own character and history. Some of the ones that are definitely worth visiting are Chefchaouen, a magical blue city, Safi, the Moroccan capital of ceramics, Essaouira, a town on the Atlantic coast where scenes from the Game of Thrones were filmed, Ifrane, where, for a moment, it seems like you’re in the Swiss Alps, Asilah, a diverse coastal town, Merzouga, a charming village in the Sahara desert, and the list could go on.

But if you think cities and towns are the only interesting places in Morocco, you couldn’t be more wrong. The Atlas and Anti-Atlas massifs offer endless hiking trails, lakes, waterfalls and much more, such as the Imouzzer waterfall, the Ouzoud Falls, the Oum Rabia river and others. That’s why, with this travelogue, I would like to encourage other travellers to visit Morocco and write their own travelogue where they’d focus on all the things that I’ve left out.

I could write many more things about Morocco, but I hope you’ve come to realise that the country is a diverse, interesting, open, safe and affordable destination with a well-developed transport infrastructure.