Rabat, the capital of Morocco since the independence in 1956 and also during French ruling beginning in 1912, is an elegant city that follows the usual structure of Moroccan cities with the original town, which is called medina, and a new modern part which was built by the French on their arrival. The existence of these two realities is due to General Lyautey who put a stop to the early approach of destroying the original urban area and reconstructing a new city over it. In doing so the original Moroccan identity was maintained together with its history and the French could build a new city next to it following their models without encountering any opposition whilst keeping the locals in their quarters. The old city in Rabat is a compact area bordered by the sea and the river on two sides, and on the other two by the Almohades and Andalusian walls, dating back to the 12th and the 17th centuries respectively. Rabat doesn’t have one of the most interesting medinas in the Country, but it is tidy and quiet compared to Fez and Marrakech showing clear Andalusian influences with the white houses and exposed brickwork. After being destroyed by the Portuguese, the city was in fact rebuilt by the Andalusian who established their pirate base there, the Bou Regreg Republic, renaming Rabat the New Sale’ where they ruled until 1829 when Austria bombed them to revenge one of their ships. Rabat offers some of the most surprising monuments in Morocco such as the Royal Palace surrounded by the Andalusian Gardens, the Hassan Mosque that with its tower dominates the whole city, and the interesting ruins of Chellah that resembles to another medina but it has actually been abandoned since the 12th century.
To be a capital, Rabat is rather quiet even though it has the largest number of restaurants in the country and some that are not too expensive, some nice cafes and few bars. During Ramadam, the city is quite lively in the evenings, but usually there isn’t much going on passed 10 at night.