October 1,2025. Rabat, Morocco.
Our first time in North Africa.
We woke to beautiful weather, a lovely view and enjoyed pastries and coffee on the balcony.
We took the Crystal provided shuttle to the United Nations Square in downtown Casablanca and met our guide Ayuob and driver Salah. Then we set off for Rabat…an hour and half drive from Casablanca. The drive was beautiful…along the Atlantic coast. Rabat is Morocco’s capital city.
Traffic in Casablanca is crazy…Lima Peru and Bangkok chaotic …with a capital C…anyway, once we left Casablanca …traffic was easy and very, very orderly in Rabat.
That’s Salah…after I thanked him profusely for delivering us safely.
Our introduction to the city of Rabat.
…walking towards the Kasbah of the Udayas…
The Great Gate of the Kasbah was built by the Almohad calif between 1195 and 1199.
The Kasbah is located on a hill at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river, it is a UNESCO world heritage site.
The Casbah is a charming historic fortress…the views over the ocean and river are spectacular. …but first we strolled the near empty streets.
I tried my very best to be respectful and not photograph anyone up close.
Ayoub explaining why there are two openings in the doors…the larger outer door is for horses, donkeys and carts to pass through. The smaller door(within the larger one) is for people to enter on foot without opening the heavy main gate…this kept out dust and animals. The design reflects Moroccan hospitality and privacy – the big door welcomed important guests or processions, while the small one allowed every day life to continue discreetly.
The oldest current structure at the site of the Kasbah is its main mosque, the Old Mosque. Dating from 1150, it was largely restored in the 18th century, by an English corsair known as Ahmed el-Inglizi.
We strolled through the streets, admiring the lovely homes.
Arriving at the top of the Kasbah, we were treated to amazing views …here we are posed overlooking the Bou Regreg river.
I left Timmy and Ayoub on a bench and went off to explore the Atlantic side of the fortress. Folks were surfing in the break water.
We made our way to a cafe and ordered mint tea and Almond cookies. But first we stopped for a selfie. Of course we did.
The mint tea was delicious.
This little kitty was curled up on the bench near Tim.
Nestled inside the Kasbah are the Andalusian Gardens, it is a peaceful oasis. Geometric pathways are lined with hedges and citrus trees. Bougainvillea, roses and hibiscus are abundant.
So peaceful and beautiful…I didn’t want to leave.
I didn’t want to leave, but we had to head over to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
The guards work eight hour shifts…visitors are allowed to take photos of these guards..not the guards inside the mausoleum…it’s a shame…the ones inside were sooooo impressive.
So many stairs…every where
Mohammed VI Tower..55 stories…tallest building in Morocco…third tallest in Africa. Constructed from 2017-2023.
We got to see the changing of the guard …and that was cool…
That’s the Grand Theatre of Rabat, designed by Zaha Hadid…it sits on the banks of the Bou Regreg River, between Rabat and Sale’.
The mausoleum grounds are beyond huge…I tried to give a sense of the scale…but it’s really not possible…
The Hassan V tower. The tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world, and the mosque, if completed, would have been the largest in the western Muslim world. Construction on the mosque stopped in 1199. The minaret was left standing at a height of 144 feet. The rest of the mosque was also left incomplete, with only the beginnings of several walls and 348 columns being constructed. The tower, along with the remains of the mosque and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V forms an important historical and tourist attraction in Rabat.
There is a lovely bit of green space bordering the complex.
We drove along the waterfront to Dar Naji for lunch.
I’m not sure what to make of the restaurant…we said we’d like to try a traditional Moroccan meal…turns out that’s Tagine. Tagine is a slow cooked stew with cumin, ginger, saffron, cinnamon, paprika, and turmeric. The decor was exotic and somewhat kitschy. Although we asked Ayoub and Salah to join us, they declined so we were left to our own devices and as the waiter was not very forthcoming with a menu description, we just put ourselves in his hands.
This salad was presented without explanation …there was definitely eggplant and probably pumpkin. It was fine and the bread was yummy.
I asked for tea and received a show.
Tagine is also the name of the unique clay pot that the Tagine is cooked in.
This is the lamb tagine
The beef tagine
The meal was fine…I am glad we tried the traditional cuisine and according to ChatGPT in reference to the restaurant (after the fact) “it’s a good safe bet if you want Moroccan food in a comfortable setting with a bit of flair”. I guess I was expecting an off the beaten path, more local folks type of restaurant. Anyway, I’ll be more specific with the guides going forward.
After lunch we visited the Royal Palace…
…enormous grounds …lush gardens…
Storks! I tried to get close, but they kept moving away😢
As we were walking (and walking…so much walking) this car kept going up and down the street …led and followed by motorcycles with blue lights.
This went on for about 10 minutes…up and back…up and back…I set my phone to video, and wouldn’t you know it…a guard began waving and yelled out “no cameras”…yikes.
I stopped with the video…but here are the pics I took of the car.
The Palace was cool, but you will have to take my word for it…no cameras allowed.
Security was very tight, as you would expect…here we are leaving.
Next up…the Chellah Archeological site.
Artifacts dating to the third century bc have been found here.
It’s hard to see, but way in the distance…like way, way in the distance, are the ruins, and Ayoub asked if I wanted to walk down to visit them. Maybe if this were five years ago.
So we sat on a bench and Ayoub gave us some history.
Peacocks…every time I tried to capture the beauty…they ran off…
Here’s the view as we drove away. We totally passed on visiting the Medina of Rabat for shopping, and made our way back to Casablanca.
There are hardly any traffic signals and no stop signs in Casablanca…when I say chaotic…that is an understatement. I took this photo to remind me of the craziness.
This is the United Nations square where we caught the shuttle bus back to Symphony.
We freshened up in record time, failed to take the mirror selfie, enjoyed two of Gordon’s melodies and stumbled into dinner…so exhausted.
IFKYK…Prego’s mushroom soup
Dover sole…so yummy
As soon as we finished dessert we were back in our room and lights were out before 10:00 pm. We were so tired, but in such a good way. It was an exceedingly long day for us, but it was a gift to visit the Kasbah, palace and ruins and be able to experience a totally different culture. Thanks for following along. 🩵
