August 16, 2015

Rabat, Morocco

Covered portion of the Rue des Consuls in the medina.
Covered portion of the Rue des Consuls in the medina.
Street in the medina.
Street in the medina.
Shops along Rue des Consuls in the medina.
Shops along Rue des Consuls in the medina.
Steps leading up to a large entrance to the Kasbah of the Udayas.
Steps leading up to a large entrance to the Kasbah of the Udayas.
Walkway to the battlement on the south side of the Kasbah.
Walkway to the battlement on the south side of the Kasbah.
Narrow street in the Kasbah.
Narrow street in the Kasbah.
Decorative doorways in the Kasbah.
Decorative doorways in the Kasbah.
Street in the Kasbah.
Street in the Kasbah.
Decoration on a wooden door in the Kasbah.
Decoration on a wooden door in the Kasbah.
A crowded beach north of the Kasbah.
A crowded beach north of the Kasbah.
Battlement of the Kasbah overlooking the mouth of the Bou Regreg River.
Battlement of the Kasbah overlooking the mouth of the Bou Regreg River.
Part of the outer wall of the Kasbah of the Udayas.
Part of the outer wall of the Kasbah of the Udayas.
The Kasbah seen from the edge of the Bou Regreg River.
The Kasbah seen from the edge of the Bou Regreg River.
Fishing boats in the Bou Regreg River.
Fishing boats in the Bou Regreg River.
Part of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, located opposite the Tower of Hassan.
Part of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, located opposite the Tower of Hassan.
The Tower of Hassan (being renovated at the time).
The Tower of Hassan (being renovated at the time).
The Mausoleum of Mohammed V, where the tombs of the Moroccan king and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah, are entombed.
The Mausoleum of Mohammed V, where the tombs of the Moroccan king and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah, are entombed.
The fortified wall around Chellah.
The fortified wall around Chellah.
The entrance to Chellah.
The entrance to Chellah.
The entrance/exit of Chellah, seen from the inside.
The entrance/exit of Chellah, seen from the inside.
Roman ruins in Chellah.
Roman ruins in Chellah.
Roman ruins and a minaret from the Islamic Medieval Period - when Chellah was used as a necropolis.
Roman ruins and a minaret from the Islamic Medieval Period – when Chellah was used as a necropolis.
The ruins of the mosque and its minaret.
The ruins of the mosque and its minaret.
Looking inside the ruins of the mosque.
Looking inside the ruins of the mosque.
Looking at the wall around Chellah from the inside.
Looking at the wall around Chellah from the inside.
The top of the hamam in Chellah.
The top of the hamam in Chellah.
Government buildings in Rabat.
Government buildings in Rabat.

I woke up at 11:30, showered, dressed, and got ready – I was feeling much better and that sorry case of traveler’s diarrhea I had may have run its course. I relaxed for a short period inside my room until the clock neared 14:00. I then exited the hotel with my camera and tripod and walked to the Kasbah of the Udayas, which is located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River, opposite Salé. To get to the Kasbah, I walked northeastward and through the medina. I entered the medina via Bab Mellah Gate and then walked along Rue des Consuls, which led me to the northeast end of the medina and to the Kasbah. Upon reaching the Kasbah, I entered inside and started my tour by walking around the gardens. The Kasbah was built during the reign of the Almohads (construction began in 1150 AD). I then walked through a small neighborhood painted a brilliant blue and white (this was an excellent area for photographs) before coming to a battlement on the edge of the Bou Regreg River; from here I could see a couple of crowded beaches and many people (mostly young men and boys) enjoying the water (I cannot attest to the cleanliness of this water, but I wouldn’t swim in it). Next, I walked back through the Kasbah and exited from whence I came. I then walked along the edge of the Bou Regreg River, heading south. I then made my way to the Tower of Hassan, which is the half-completed minaret of an incomplete mosque. The tower was begun in 1195 AD and was intended to be the largest minaret in the world along with the mosque (also intended to be the world’s largest). In 1199 AD, Sultan Yacub al-Mansour died and construction on the mosque stopped; the tower ended up reaching 44 meters, about half of its intended height of 86 meters. The rest of the mosque was also left incomplete, with only the beginnings of several walls and 200 columns being constructed. When I reached the Tower of Hassan, I had a very disappointing view – it was being renovated and was completely covered in scaffolding and construction drapes (I had seen this covered tower yesterday in the distance and figured it was probably the Tower of Hassan). But I entered the area around the tower anyway; I passed through the entrance guarded by soldiers on horseback and walked around, looking at all the short columns standing where the mosque was to have been built. I also looked at the outside of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (located in the same complex as the tower, on the southern end), which contains the tombs of the Moroccan king and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah. Next, I exited complex and walked southward to Chellah (I figured I’d give it another go today). I walked along a couple of roads and soon reached the walled garden and ruins of Chellah. I entered inside, paid for a ticket, and then walked to the ruins of Sala Colonia – an old Roman town; later on, the town was abandoned and used as a necropolis during the Islamic medieval period; at this time, a mosque, a haman, a zawiya, and royal tombs (including that of Abu l-Hasan) were built – these too, are now in ruins. Anyway, I walked around the ruins and the garden before exiting Chellah and making my way back to the hotel. I walked north past all those guarded government buildings I passed by yesterday and I made my way to the pizza restaurant I had ordered from two days ago. After receiving my pizza, I returned to my hotel room, relaxed, ate the pizza (it was topped with chicken, green peppers, olives, and mushrooms), and finished off the rest of the coke and juice I had stored in the refrigerator. I also went through the photographs I took today, typed out the journal entry, and booked a place to stay in Marrakesh for the next three nights. Later in the night (after 23:00), I went out to get some more water, but my go-to market was closed for the day; so I walked to the pizza restaurant from before and overpaid for a large water and a coke. I then returned to my hotel room and worked on updating the website. I eventually went to sleep after 02:00.

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An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.