Everything about Rabat totally explained
Rabat (
Arabic الرباط,
transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or
ar-Ribāṭ), population 1.7 million (
2007 estimate), is the
capital of the
Kingdom of Morocco. It is also the capital of the
Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region.
The city is located on the
Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river
Bou Regreg. On the facing shore of the river lies
Salé, Rabat's
bedroom community. Together the two cities account for a population of 1.7 million. Unfortunately, silting problems have diminished the city's role as a port; however, Rabat and
Salé still maintain relatively important
textile,
food processing and
construction industries; some are from sweatshop labor by major multinational corporations (see
Salé).
In addition, tourism and the presence of all foreign
embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat the second most important city in the country after the larger and more economically significant
Casablanca.
History
Rabat's history began with a
settlement, known as
Chellah on the banks of the
Oued Bou Regreg
in the third century BC. In 40 AD,
Romans took over Chellah and converted it to the Roman settlement of Sala Colonia. Rome held the colony until 250 AD when they abandoned it to
Berber rulers. The Berbers played an important role in
Muslim Spain. In
1146, the
Almohad ruler
Abd al-Mu'min turned Rabat's ribat into a full scale fortress to use as a launching point for attacks on
Spain. In
1170, due to its military importance, Rabat acquired the title
Ribatu l-Fath, meaning "stronghold of victory," from which it derives its current name.
Yaqub al-Mansur (known as Moulay Yacoub in Morocco), another Almohad Caliph, moved the capital of his empire to Rabat. He built Rabat's city walls, the
Kasbah of the Udayas and began construction on what would have been the world's largest mosque. However, Yaqub died and construction stopped. The ruins of the unfinished mosque, along with the
Hassan Tower, still stand today.
Yaqub's death initiated a period of decline. The Almohad empire lost control of its possessions in Spain and much of its African territory, eventually leading to its total collapse. In the 13th century, much of Rabat's economic power shifted to
Fez. In
1515 a
Moorish explorer, El Wassan, reported that Rabat had declined so much that only 100 inhabited houses remained. An influx of
Moriscos, who had been expelled from Spain, in the early 17th century helped boost Rabat's growth (principal families: Mouline [Molina], Bargach [Vargas], Balafrej [Palafresa], Moreno, Baena, Olivares [Loubaris],...).
Rabat and neighboring Salé united to form the
Republic of Bou Regreg in 1627. The republic was run by
Barbary pirates who used the two cities as base ports for launching attacks on shipping. The pirates didn't have to contend with any central authority until the
Alaouite Dynasty united Morocco in
1666. They attempted to establish control over the pirates, but failed. European and Muslims authorities continued to attempt to control the pirates over many years, but the Republic of Bou Regreg didn't collapse until
1818. Even after the republic's collapse, pirates continued to use the port of Rabat, which led to the shelling of the city by
Austria in
1829 after an Austrian ship had been lost to a pirate attack.
The French invaded Morocco in
1912 and established a protectorate. The French administrator of Morocco, General
Hubert Lyautey, decided to relocate the country's capital from Fez to Rabat. Among other factors, rebellious Berbers (native Moroccans) had made Fez an unstable place. Sultan
Moulay Youssef followed the decision of the French and moved his residence to Rabat. In
1913, Gen. Lyautey hired
Henri Prost who designed the Ville Nouvelle (Rabat's modern quarter) as an administrative sector. When Morocco achieved independence in
1956,
Mohammed V, the then
King of Morocco, chose to have the capital remain at Rabat.
Image:Rabat_Parlament.JPG|Rabat, the Parliament
Image:Sale_from_Rabat.JPG|Rabat, the twin city Sale
Image:Palace_gate.jpg|Rabat, The Oudayas
Culture
The biggest place for theatre is the Theatre Mohamed V in the centre of the town.
Few official galleries and an archeological museum.
Many Foundation are active in culture and social issues. Orient-Occident Foundation and ONA Foundation are the biggest ones and have important places for meetings and educative workshops.
An independent art scene is ver active in town with
L'appartement 22 which is the first independent space for visual arts opened in 2002 by
Abdellah Karroum.
Major sites
Sister cities
Athens, Greece
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Istanbul, TurkeyFurther Information
Get more info on 'Rabat'.
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