Rabat (Rabat)

Rabat (Rabat) – Capital Morocco, Cultural and Industrial Center. Population – 1,787,307 people (2009).

The city amazes with his own kind of architecture, which is a mixture of the East and the West and despite the fact that the discount is a modern business center, he fully retained his East Moroccan flavor.

Directly to the Rabat, the city of Sali, separated from him, the Boo-regreg river and the metropolitan agglomeration together with it.

In the Middle Ages, Sale (founded in the X century on the site of the ancient Roman city of Sala) served the largest port of Morocco. In 1627, it becomes the lair of the Berberian pirates and the center of a peculiar Pirate Republic. Even the discount at that time recognized the dominion of pirates. «City of Korsarov» repeatedly fired from guns by European fleets. Robinson Crusoe tells about his capture of lady’s pirates. In the XIX century, the harbor of Sale of Breaks and the port was closed.

From the third century to n. NS. On the banks of the BU River, the Punic settlement of Chella existed, the main purpose of which was trading with Carthage. In 40, the Romans turned him into the city of Sala Colonia. About 250 years old went to the Berbers. In 1146, during the conquest of the Almohades of the Atlantic Coast, Morocco Abd Al-Mumin built a fortress here, which he used to attack Andalusia. The modern name of the city was first recorded in 1170 in the form «Ribat El Fath», What does "victorious" mean.

The greater the greater was reached with the grandson of Abd al-Mumin, Yakub al-Mansur (1184-1199), which was transferred to the capital of the state of Almohades from Marrakesh to Rabat. He built a lot of structures in the city, including the fortress of Kasba Udaiya, and also began the construction of a mosque that should have become the world’s largest. The minaret of it was to reach a height of 86 m, but was for the time of the death of Yakuba, only up to 44 m was completed, after which the construction stopped.

After the death of Yakub, a period of decline of discount began. The state of Almohada lost its territories in Spain and most of North Africa, which, in the end, led to his collapse. In the XIII century, all Morocco switched to the authorities of the Maritics Dynasty, and the economic power of the Rabat moved to the capital of the Maritics of Fez. In 1515, Al-Wassan traveler reported that only a hundred residential buildings remained in everything. Revival of Rabat is connected with the expulsion of Moriscians from Spain. Many Moriska drew in a slave and contributed to its economic growth.

In 1627, the Rabat and the neighboring city of Sale have united in the BU Regron Republic. At the head of the republic stood Berber pirates who used these cities like ports to attack by ships. Pirates did not come across any central government until 1666, when Morocco was united under the authority of the Alauitian dynasty. Attempts by Alauita to subordinate the BU regime republic turned out to be unsuccessful, and the latter existed until 1818. Even after the death of the Republic, the pirates were hosted in the harbor of Rabat, which led to the shelling of the city of the Austrian Fleet, following the loss of the Austrian ship as a result of a pirate attack.

In 1912, on the FEST Treaty, France installed the Protectorate over Morocco. Head of the French Administration in Morocco, Yumber Liote, transferred the capital from Fez to Rabat. One of the reasons for this decision was the rebellion of Berber, threatening the Fes and who made the governments there were dangerous. Sultan Mulay Yusuf agreed with this decision and moved to Rabat. In 1913, Liote instructed Henri, the device of Ville Nouvele, the modern quarter of the discount, the dkii was supposed to perform administrative functions. After the proclamation of the independence of Morocco in 1956, King Mohammed V left the discount of the capital.

Kasba Udaya (Kasbah of the Udayas) – Fortress, vintage city citadel. Monument to the Mauritan architecture of the period of Almhadov. The name is due to the name of the robbery tribe, «planted for feeding» In Morocco, with the almoravid dynasty to counteract local nomads. Inside, the fortress is built up with traditional residential houses with deaf, white-blue walls. In the northern part of the Citadel is a popular tourist viewing area overlooking the sea.

Tower Khasana (Hassan Tower) – Unfinished minaret khasan mosque. Construction began in 1195.NS. And his height should have achieved 86 meters to become the highest minaret in the world. But the construction was interrupted in 1199 due to the death of Sultan Yakub Al-Mansur and the minaret achieved height only 44 meters.

Royal Palace (Royal Palace) – Residence of King Morocco, was built in 1864.

Mausoleum Mohammed V (Mausoleum of Mohammed V) – Built according to the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris. Mausoleum is made of white marble, inside with gold, cedar, multicolored mosaic.

In the south-east of the city, on the site of the Roman Fortress Sala, is located Shell Fortress (Chellah) with necropole XIV in. Dynasty Marnion.

Museum of Moroccan art "Udaiya" founded in 1915. At the entrance to the museum puts guns captured by Moroccan Corsairs in the XVII-XVIII centuries. In one of the premises of the museum, a traditional interior of the housing of a notable Moroccan family was reproduced, in others a collection of traditional female decorations of the Andalusian and Moroccan masters, a collection of old weapons, samples of national Moroccan clothing, folk musical instruments, pottery, ceramics, are shown by carpets of the XVIII-XIX centuries., Woven in different areas of Morocco. In one of the halls of the museum presented Arab manuscripts, the ancient lists of the Quran.

National Museum Crafts – It demonstrates the modern art of Moroccan craftsmen.

Interesting also Museum of Antiquities and Museum of Folk Art.

The easiest way to get from Russia to Rabat – Moscow – Casablanca direct flight, with Royal Air Maroc Airlines.

Flights are made from Sheremetyevo Airport. Transfer Casablanca Rabat takes about an hour (90 km).