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Rabat الرباط ar-Rabāṭ |
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Rabat
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| Coordinates: 34°02′N 6°50′W / 34.033°N 6.833°W | |
| Country |  Morocco |
| Region | Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer |
| First settled | 3rd century BC |
| Government | |
| - Type | monarchy |
| - ruler | Mohammed VI |
| - mayor | Omar El Bahraoui |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1,088,77 km2 (142.778 sq mi) |
| - Land | 634,5 km2 (245 sq mi) |
| Elevation [1] | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| - Total | 1,787,307 |
| - Density | 5,321/km2 (13,781.3/sq mi) |
| Website | http://www.rabat.ma/ |
Rabat (Arabic الرباط, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ), population 2 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 with Témara account for a population of 2 million. 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.
Contents |
Rabat's history began with a settlement, known as Chellah on the banks of the Oued Bou Regreg[2] 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 rulers. 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.[3] 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 did not 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 did not 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,[4] decided to relocate the country's capital from Fez to Rabat. Among other factors, rebellious citizens 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.
Following World War II, the United States established a military presence in Rabat at the former French air base. By the early 1950s, Rabat Salé Air Base was a U.S. Air Force installation hosting the 17th Air Force and the 5th Air Division, which oversaw forward basing for Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-47 Stratojet aircraft in the country. With the destabilization of French government in Morocco, and Moroccan independence in 1956, the government of Mohammed V wanted the U.S. Air Force to pull out of the SAC bases in Morocco, insisting on such action after American intervention in Lebanon in 1958. The United States agreed to leave as of December 1959, and was fully out of Morocco by 1963. SAC felt the Moroccan bases were much less critical with the long range capability of the B-52 Stratofortresses that were replacing the B-47s and with the completion of the USAF installations in Spain in 1959.[5]
With the USAF withdrawal from Rabat-Salé in the 1960s, the facility became a primary facility for the Royal Moroccan Air Force known as Air Base Nº 1, a status it continues to hold.
The biggest place for theatre is the Theatre Mohamed V in the centre of the town. The city also has a few official galleries and an archeological museum. Many organisations are active in cultural and social issues. Orient-Occident Foundation and ONA Foundation are the biggest of these. An independent art scene is active in the city. L'appartement 22, which is the first independent space for visual arts created by Abdellah Karroum, opened in 2002.
Rabat was selected as a filming location for the war film Black Hawk Down (2001).
 Royal Palace |
 The Parliament |
 The Parliament building |
 Salé photographed from Rabat |
 Rabat as seen from Spot Satellite |
 Tramway de Rabat-Salé |
 Train of Morocco at Rabat station |
Rabat is twinned with:
Located along the Atlantic Ocean, Rabat has a mild, temperate climate, shifting from cool in winter to warm days in the summer months. The nights are always cool (or colder in winter), with daytime temperatures generally always rising about +9/10 C° (+15/18 F°) every day. The winter highs typically reach only 17.5°C (64°F) in December-January (see weather-table below).
| Weather data for Rabat | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) |
27 (81) |
31 (88) |
35 (95) |
38 (100) |
41 (106) |
41 (106) |
48 (118) |
45 (113) |
44 (111) |
39 (102) |
37 (99) |
28 (82) |
48 (118) |
| Average high °C (°F) |
17 (63) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
26 (79) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
25 (77) |
21 (70) |
18 (64) |
23 (73) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
8 (46) |
8 (46) |
9 (48) |
11 (52) |
13 (55) |
16 (61) |
17 (63) |
18 (64) |
17 (63) |
14 (57) |
12 (54) |
9 (48) |
13 (55) |
| Record low °C (°F) |
1 (34) |
1 (34) |
1 (34) |
4 (39) |
6 (43) |
7 (45) |
12 (54) |
10 (50) |
8 (46) |
7 (45) |
3 (37) |
0 (32) |
0 (32) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) |
66 (2.6) |
64 (2.52) |
66 (2.6) |
43 (1.69) |
28 (1.1) |
8 (0.31) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
10 (0.39) |
48 (1.89) |
84 (3.31) |
86 (3.39) |
477 (18.78) |
| Source: BBC Weather [9] 2009-08-17 | |||||||||||||
Coordinates: 34°02′N 6°50′W / 34.033°N 6.833°W
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Rabat (الرباط) is the capital city of Morocco. It is an easy going city by Moroccan standards.
Rabat is well served by train and you can get frequent connections to most places. Marrakesh is a pleasant 4 hour journey, Fez 2.5 hours (if you take one of the new express trains, and 3.5 hours on other trains) and Casablanca 1 hour. There are two stations in Rabat - Centre Ville (Medina) and Agdal.
It's possible to get a bus from almost any town in the country to Rabat. Note, however, that the buses often do not stop at the central bus station, but instead go through the city. It may be a good idea to ask someone which is the correct stop, or use a decent street map to work out where you are. It is easy to miss the main stop and find yourself heading out into the suburbs again, which is not too bad - about a 20-25 MAD ride in to downtown.
The Rabat International Airport is located in the nearby town of Salé. The city has limited international connections, with most tourist flying into nearby Casablanca and then coming into Rabat by train or coach. The airport itself is very tiny, possessing limited facilities (only one runway, one conveyor belt, etc.) so it's definately not the best way to get into the city. However, the airport is undergoing some major renovations, with the hope of relieving all the flights from Fez, Marrakesh and Casablanca, so it should improve in the not too distant future.
There are many things to do here, as with most Moroccan cities it is enough just to wander around and adventure where something takes your fancy.
In the Kasbah (Oudaia) there is an amazing cafe that looks over the sea, where you can drink mint tea and eat sugary treats. The staff are very friendly and you can stay as long as you like soaking up the atmosphere.
There is also a large and tranquil park next to the Hotel Hilton, where people run and play football etc. You can also use the pool at the Hilton for a charge. The park is a 10-15 Dirham taxi ride (10 minutes) from la gare central.
Although the medina here is not as extensive as that of Fez or Marrakesh there are still some bargains to be had. You will find the normal array of baboshka shoes, baggy pants, ornate mirrors and plates etc!
Interestingly all the Moroccans can be found in the section of the market that sells imported western style clothing from Asia and all the tourists can be found in the 'traditional' section. The lovely woolen paunchos are well worth a look and the carpet shops near the end of the medina are also very nice.
If you find yourself in Agdal, try the brochettes at 'Sucre et Sale'.
Canadian
Embassy in Morocco, 13, bis rue Jaâfa-as-Sadik, Agdal Rabat/
Postal Address: C.P. 709 Rabat-Agdal, Morocco, ☎ +011 (212) 537 68 74 00 (rabat@international.gc.ca,
fax: +011 (212) 537 68 74 30), [2].
M-Th 8AM–noon and 1:30PM-5:30PM, F
8AM-1:30PM. The Canadian Embassy
also provides services to Australian citizens in Morocco. Call
collect from any country at (613) 996 8885 to reach the Emergency
Operations Centre. edit
Embassy of the United States of America,
2 Avenue Mohamed Al
Fassi (formerly Avenue de Marrakech), Rabat/ Postal Address: PSC 74
Box 021, APO AE 09718, ☎ +212
(37) 76 22 65 (fax: +212 (37) 76 56
61), [3]. M-F
8AM-5PM. For emergency services
after-hours, call the Duty Officer cell phone at +212 (661) 13 19
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Category: Outline articles
RABAT (Ribat), a city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in 34° 3' N., 6° 46' W., 130 m. S. of Cape Spartel, on the southern side and at the mouth of the Bu Ragrag, which separates it from Salli on the northern bank. It is a commercial town of about 26,000 to 30,000 inhabitants, occupying a rocky plateau and surrounded by massive but dilapidated walls, strengthened by three forts on the seaward side. To the south of the town stands a modern palace, defended by earthworks and Krupp guns. The conspicuous feature in the view from the ocean is the Borj el Hasan, an unfinished square-built tower, 145 ft. high, built on an elevation about 65 ft. above the sea to the west of the walled town. At one time the Bu Ragrag afforded a much better harbour than it does now; the roadstead is quite unprotected, and there is a dangerous bar at the mouth of the river, which hampers the shipping, and makes the growth of trade slow. The depth of water over the bar varies from 7 to 12 ft. Rabat trades with Fez and the interior of Morocco, with the neighbouring coast towns and Gibraltar, and with Marseilles, Manchester and London, and is the greatest industrial centre in Morocco.
Rabat was founded by Yak'ub el Mansur in 1184, but Salli was then already an ancient city, and on the scarped hills to the west of Rabat stand the ruins of Sala, a Roman colony, known as Shelia. It contains a mausoleum of the Beni Malin dynasty.
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Categories: R-RAN | North Africa
Rabat
| Rabat الرباط ar-Rabāṭ |
|
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 34°02′N 6°50′W / 34.033°N 6.833°W | |
| Country | Morocco |
| Region | Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer |
| First settled | 3rd century BC |
| Government | |
| - Type | monarchy |
| - ruler | Mohammed VI |
| - mayor | Fathallah Wala'alou[1] |
| Area | |
| - City | 1,088,77 km2 (142.778 sq mi) |
| - Land | 634,5 km2 (245 sq mi) |
| Elevation [2] | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| - City | 627 000 |
| - Density | 5,321/km2 (13,781.3/sq mi) |
| - Urban | 1,787,307 |
| Website | http://www.rabat.ma/ |
Contents |
Rabat's history began with a settlement, known as Chellah on the banks of the Oued Bou Regreg[3] in the third century BC. In 40 AD, Romans took over Chellah and changed it to the Roman settlement of Sala Colonia. Rome held the colony until 250 AD. They gave it up to local rulers. In 1146, the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min turned Rabat's ribat into a full scale fortress. It was used as a starting 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 gets its current name.
Yaqub al-Mansur (known as Moulay Yacoub in Morocco), another Almohad Caliph, moved the capital of his empire to Rabat.[4] 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 a period of decline at first. The Almohad empire lost control of its land in Spain and much of its African territory. Eventually this led 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 houses remained with people living in them. An increase of Moriscos, who had been removed from Spain, in the early 17th century helped boost Rabat's growth.
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 starting attacks on shipping. The pirates did not have to fight 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. The Republic of Bou Regreg did not collapse until 1818. Even after the republic's collapse, pirates continued to use the port of Rabat. This led to the attack 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,[5] decided to move the country's capital from Fez to Rabat. Among other factors, citizens had made Fez an unstable place because of their desire to rebel. Sultan Moulay Youssef followed the decision of the French and moved his home to Rabat. In 1913, Gen. Lyautey hired Henri Prost who designed the Ville Nouvelle (Rabat's modern quarter) as an administrative sector. When Morocco became independent in 1956, Mohammed V, the then King of Morocco, chose to have the capital remain at Rabat.
After World War II, the United States created a military presence in Rabat at the former French air base. By the early 1950s, Rabat Salé Air Base was a U.S. Air Force based hosting the 17th Air Force and the 5th Air Division. These divisions oversaw forward basing for Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-47 Stratojet aircraft in the country. With the destabilization of French government in Morocco, and Moroccan independence in 1956, the government of Mohammed V wanted the U.S. Air Force to pull out of the SAC bases in Morocco. He insisted on such action after Americans became involved in Lebanon in 1958. The United States agreed to leave as of December 1959. They were fully out of Morocco by 1963. SAC felt the Moroccan bases were much less critical with the long range capability of the B-52 Stratofortresses that were replacing the B-47s. It also had completed USAF bases in Spain in 1959.[6]
With the USAF leaving Rabat-Salé in the 1960s, the facility became a primary facility for the Royal Moroccan Air Force known as Air Base Nº 1, a status it continues to hold.
The biggest place for theatre is the Theatre Mohamed V in the centre of the town. The city also has a few official galleries and an archeological museum. Many organisations are active in cultural and social issues. Orient-Occident Foundation and ONA Foundation are the biggest of these. An independent art scene is active in the city. L'appartement 22, which is the first independent space for visual arts created by Abdellah Karroum, opened in 2002.
Rabat was selected as a filming location for the war film Black Hawk Down (2001).
Rabat will bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Rabat is twinned with:
Rabat features a Mediterranean climate. Located along the Atlantic Ocean, Rabat has a mild, temperate climate. It moves from cool in winter to warm days in the summer months. The nights are always cool (or colder in winter) Daytime temperatures generally always rise about +9/10 C° (+15/18 F°) every day. The winter highs usually reach only Template:Convert/°C in December-January (see weather-table below).
| Weather data for Rabat | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 31 (88) | 35 (95) | 38 (100) | 41 (106) | 41 (106) | 48 (118) | 45 (113) | 44 (111) | 39 (102) | 37 (99) | 28 (82) | 48 (118) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 17 (63) | 18 (64) | 20 (68) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 26 (79) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 25 (77) | 21 (70) | 18 (64) | 23 (73) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 8 (46) | 8 (46) | 9 (48) | 11 (52) | 13 (55) | 16 (61) | 17 (63) | 18 (64) | 17 (63) | 14 (57) | 12 (54) | 9 (48) | 13 (55) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1 (34) | 1 (34) | 1 (34) | 4 (39) | 6 (43) | 7 (45) | 12 (54) | 10 (50) | 8 (46) | 7 (45) | 3 (37) | 0 (32) | 0 (32) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|66 (2.6) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|64 (2.52) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|66 (2.6) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|43 (1.69) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|28 (1.1) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|8 (0.31) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|0 (0) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|0 (0) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|10 (0.39) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|48 (1.89) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|84 (3.31) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp"|86 (3.39) | style="Template:Infobox Weather/colp border-left-width:medium"|477 (18.78) |
| Source: BBC Weather [10] 2009-08-17 | |||||||||||||
Royal Palace,
Royal Palace |
Rabat SPOT
Rabat as seen from Spot Satellite |
Train of
Train of Morocco at Rabat station |
| Error creating thumbnail: sh: convert: command not found |
Coordinates: 34°02′N 6°50′W / 34.033°N 6.833°W
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   | Entry in Lexicorient - LookLex / Morocco / Rabat / Capital in blue and white |
| | Travel in Rabat-History - Travel in Rabat - Morocco - Africa - History - WorldTravelGate.net®- |
| | Rabat Portal - Accueil - Rabat - Capitale du MAROC |
| | Rabat at "goruma" (German) - Rabat: Kurzinfo :: GORUMA |
| | Places in Rabat - Welcome to Temara city |
| | rabatcity - Rabat la capitale du Maroc :ToutRabat.com |
| | A blog dedicated to Rabat (French) - rabat-the-city's blog - Rabat-The-City - Skyrock.com |
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