2019-10-01 Wanderlust

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RABAT

TheKasbahOudaïa

178 wanderlust.co.uk October 2019

POCKET GUIDES TRAVEL ICON

Language:Arabic,Frenchand

Tamazight(Berber)Time:GMT+1

Visas:Britishnationalsdon'trequire

avisaMoney:MoroccanDirham

(MAD),currentlyMAD11.66totheUK£

Needtoknow Thisfeatureisadaptedfrom

theDKEyewitnessMorocco

travelguide,whichcontains

illustrations,insidertips,

toursuggestionsandalarge

pull-outmap.Seedk.com

Walkdistance:

0.7km(0.4miles)

Time: 7 minutes

THE OUDAIA KASBAH

Meandering through the medina

The kasbah takes its name from the Oudaïas, an Arab

tribe with a warrior past that was settled here by

Moulay Ismail (1627­1727) to protect the city from the

threat of rebels. As you wander, look up to see part of

the city walls that surround this hilltop fortress, and

Bab Oudaïa, the gate that pierces it, which dates from

the Almohad period (1147­1248). On Rue Jamaa, the

main thoroughfare of this picturesque district, stands

the El-Atika Mosque. This imposing sanctuary was built

in the 12th century, and is the oldest mosque in Rabat.

ï

The walled Rabat medina, which is ‰illed with dozens of traditional shops

CaféMaure,alocal

hauntwithexcellent

views,iswhere

Rabatiscometorelax

andpassthetime.

MuséedesOudaïa

has been housed in

the historic palace

of Moulay Ismaïl

since 1915.

The12th-centruy

BabOudaïa,an

archetypalexample

ofAlmohadmilitary

architecture.

Theplatformofthe

formerOudaïasignal

station,whichwasbuilt

inthe18thcenturyby

SultanSidiMohammed

benAbdallah.

Theprayerhallofthe

El-AtikaMosque,

whichwasfounded

inabout 1150 byAbd

el-Moumenandis

Rabat’soldest

monument.

Blueorwhite

lime-washed

houses,that

werebuiltinthe

late17thto18th

centuries,line

thenarrow

kasbahstreets.

Did you know?

Most of the 2001 film

Black Hawk Down,

starring Josh Hartnett

was filmed in and

around Rabat.

Pirates’

Tower

Carpet

workshop

Fountain

El-Alou

cemetery

The western ramparts

of the city walls which

were built by Yacoub

el-Mansour in 1195.

The Andalusian

Gardens are

a pleasant green

space laid out in

the Moorish style

at the beginning

of the 20th century.

START

FINISH

RUE BAZZO

RUE

BAZZO

RUE

JAMAA

RUE

JAMAA

RUEBAZZO

³

³

³

³

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