Rabat, Capital in blue and white.

Rabat opens up only slowly to you. At the first day of your first arrival you will discover that there is another atmosphere here, and compared to other Moroccan cities people are a bit shy and don't start talking to you easily. Somehow, they don't care about you.

Walking your lonely walks around town, the many gems of a capital of a magic country reveals themselves to you. And it isn't always the things that are first seen that will keep your eyes entertained.

Rabat: Royal palace.

The royal palace lies right in the heart of Rabat, and its area is open for trespassing. As a matter of fact, you can get quite close to the real palace before the guards start to feel uneasy. But quite honestly, what you see is only moderately impressive – the real beauty is behind the walls.

Rabat: Royal mosque

Right across from the Royal Palace, the King's own mosque stands. Neither old nor terribly big, it still offers a fine example of Islamic architecture. Its placement gives it an added quality – between it and the Royal Palace there is nothing but the wide square.

Rabat: Chellah-the gate.

One of the more rememberable parts of the Chellah is the old gate, with parts dating back 800 years in time.

Note the corbels in each corner under the towers, which is a central element to Merenid architecture.

The gate is striking with its location – you have to leave Rabat's walls, and cross through an area of wild plants and flowers, while you can see the valley and river below Rabat growing in front of you.
The gate and walls are in good condition, but they owe a lot to a large number of modifications and repair rounds through the centuries

Rabat: Chellah-the garden.

What appears to be just a luscious garden today is really the ground of ancient Rabat, or Bou Regreg as it was known. It was abandoned back in 1154 and was for some centuries used as a royal burial ground. The garden today hides almost all of its past, but this s still a place that most certainly merits all the visits it gets by itself. The bushes and trees come in all colors and all around you there is a continuos noise of birds.

Rabat: Chellah-the sanctuary.

Rabat: Oudaïa gate.

The Oudaïa gate dates back to the Almohad period, and was erected in the same period as the Hassan tower (around 1200).It is believed that the purpose of this gate, was ceremonical. Its style is one of great simplicity and effective contrasts. The gate expands through three levels, before the circular shape is broken, and the squareness of the gate takes control. It is generally belived that that shapes of this, and other, gates is there to take control over your eyes and your total experience, but there is little of symbolical value to find here.
This gate was more than just a huge door, it also has served in the function of official building. It has been both a courthouse and staterooms.

Rabat: Kasbah des Oudaïas.

The Kasbah des Oudaïa is a beautiful and quiet spot in the every increasingly busy Rabat. The standard of the streets and the houses is far above what you would expect to find in most other old cities in Morocco. Everything evolves around white houses with blue painted parapets. It definitely has the air of just having been painted. There are very few people walking through the streets, so chances are that you will have it all more or less to yourself.

Rabat: Platform view.

The platform view at the very northern end of the Kasbah des Oudaïas is a popular destination for locals and visitors out on a stroll. After passing through the nice streets of the kasbah you end up in a place where you have the view over the Atlantic Ocean, the town beach, the harbour, the river and the neighbour town of Sale.

Rabat: Andalucian Gardens.

The Andalucian Gardens are not as old as they might give the impression of being — they belong to the 20th century and were laid out be the French colonial authorities. But despite that historical background, they do have a distinct non-French feeling today, especially with the dominance of Moroccans here. The gardens have another attraction, the Museum of Moroccan Arts. While the indoor exhibition is laid out like most Moroccan museums, there are some nice arrangements with colourful and traditional antique doors in the walls near the entrance to the gardens.