Rabat Favorites

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Favorite thing: There is no need to take extra precautions than you would normally in any other city. There is an apparent police force around as well as those not in an identifying uniform. Pickpockets will always be around, wherever you are so take care with your belongings.

Favorite thing: In many of the craft shops you will see the Hand of Fatima. This is a lucky charm and comes in many forms such as brass, silver, ceramic wall hangings, door knockers and jewellery. It is believed that the hamsa will protect you from the evil eye. The open palm with the five fingers represent the five pillars of Islam.

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Favorite thing: In coastal areas where fish is more often used, imaginative cookery adds ginger, cinnamon, sugar, sweet butter as well as incredible combinations of fresh or dried fruits and nuts. There are tagines of fish and seafood, baked fish dishes, poached fish dishes, and a great variety of tiny fluffy fish balls served with many accompaniments of seasoned sauces, fruits, or vegetables.

Favorite thing: Moroccans make some wonderful bread such as Baghirir (similar to focaccia), Msemmen (thin and crusty), Hersha (crusty and heavy), and Matlouh (chickpea). Every meal is usually accompanied by bread and is used to mop up food.

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Favorite thing: Throughout the street markets you will find containers of wonderful fragrant spices including coriander, cumin, tumeric, ginger, saffron and paprika. Moroccan dishes are made up of most of the ingredients. A lot of the spices are imported into Morocco.

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Favorite thing: Sea in Rabat is calmer than in Essaouira and it is not windy. A beach bellow Kasbah is occupied mostly by moroccan children, but also several tourists. The beach is closed and protected by a rockfill dam, which is a good option for many fishermen and for a walk.

Fondest memory: Awsome view on Kasbah, city Salé and lighthouse with heavy sea.

Favorite thing: At the far end of the Kasbah - just follow the main street to its eventual end - is the Plateforme du Semaphore, a large viewing area with a vista across the bay to Sale. This space seemed popular with courting couples, maybe down here to take advantage of the views and perhaps enjoy a romantic sunset.

The bay itself isn't one of the most dramatic spots of scenery that I've seen, but on a sunny day it would be a nice spot to hang out for a while to work out your next spot on the tourist trail. And the views are free...

Maybe not on a rainy late afternoon in November though, as you can tell in the pic!

Favorite thing: Rabat's main attraction are the ruins of the Hassan mosque and the opposite Mohamed V mausoleum.

The Hassan Mosque was conceived as the biggest in the world at the time, when Jacob Al Mansoor established the capital of his Almohade empire in Rabat. However, the building was never completed for unknown reasons.

What we see today is a large explanade with the rests of the columns and a bulky red-brick tower (Hassan Tower) which is the emblem of the city. This tower is also unfinished and has a great resemblance with the two other famous minarets let built by the Almohades: the Koutoubia in Marrakeh and the Giralda in Seville.

Just opposite, you can visit Mohammed V's mausoleum, a rather kitschy modern Islamic monument where the rests of Mohammed V are buried. He was the king who led the struggle for independence in Morocco and established a tyrannic feudal monarchic system, and therefore, officially venerated as the father of the country.