rabat

The name Rabat comes from the Arabic word {{Lang|ar|الرباط}} (a-Ribāṭ) meaning the ribat, an Islamic base or fortification. This name is short for {{Lang|ar|رباط الفتح}} (Ribāṭu al-Fatḥ) meaning the ribat of conquest or stronghold of victory—a title given by the Almohads when they established the city as a naval base in 1170.{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/tarikh-ribat-alfat7|title=تاريخ رباط الفتح – عبد الله السويسي|language=ar}}{{Cite web|title=دعوة الحق – رباط الفتح|url=http://www.habous.gov.ma/daouat-alhaq/item/1728|access-date=2021-04-06|website=habous.gov.ma}}

{{For timeline}}

In the first millennium BC the Phoenicians founded several trading colonies along the Atlantic coast of what is now Morocco, but the existence of a Phoenician settlement in the area, called Sala or Shallat, has been debated by archeologists.{{cite book |author=Janet L. Abu-Lughod |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NKP_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |title=Rabat: Urban Apartheid in Morocco |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1980 |isbn=978-1-4008-5303-8 |pages=35, 37–38 (note 2)}}{{Cite book |last=Martín |first=Alfredo Mederos |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m6CgDwAAQBAJ&dq=chellah+punic&pg=PA630 |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-049934-1 |editor-last=Doak |editor-first=Brian R. |pages=630 |language=en |chapter=North Africa: from the Atlantic to Algeria |editor-last2=López-Ruiz |editor-first2=Carolina}} By the first century BC the local inhabitants were still writing in the neo-Punic language, but the region came under the influence of Rome.{{cite book |author1=Anna Gallina Zevi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMV2s_sAICMC&pg=PA224 |title=Méditerranée occidentale antique: les échanges. Atti del seminario (Marsiglia, 14–15 maggio 2004). Ediz. francese, italiana e spagnola |author2=Rita Turchetti |publisher=Rubbettino Editore |year=2004 |isbn=978-88-498-1116-2 |page=224}} It was controlled by the ancient Berber Mauretanian Kingdom until it was formally annexed by Rome in the first century BC.{{Cite book |last=Mugnai |first=Niccolò |title=Architectural Decoration and Urban History in Mauretania Tingitana (Morocco) |publisher=School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester |year=2016 |pages=156–183 |language=en |type=PhD thesis}} On the site now known as Chellah, just south of the walled city today, the Romans built a city named Sala Colonia. Excavations have revealed that older Mauretanian structures existed on the site before Roman structures were built over them. Along with Lixus, Sala Colonia was one of the two main naval outposts held by the Romans on the Atlantic coast of the Mauretania Tingitana province. The port of Sala (now disappeared) was used by commercial Roman ships as a way station on their southwestward passages to Anfa and the Insula Purpuraria (Mogador island).{{Cite web |title=Le province romane d'Africa in "Il Mondo dell'Archeologia" |url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/le-province-romane-d-africa_(Il-Mondo-dell'Archeologia)/ |access-date=2018-02-24 |website=www.treccani.it |language=it-IT}}

Archaeological objects of Visigothic and Byzantine origin found in the area attest to the persistence of commercial or political contacts between Sala and Roman Europe, up to the establishment of a Byzantine presence in North Africa during the 7th century.Boube, J. "Éléments de ceinturon wisigothiques et byzantins trouvés au Maroc".Bulletin d'archéologie marocaine, volume=XV, 1983–84.pages=281–297 However, Sala began to be abandoned in the 5th century and was mostly in ruins when the Muslim Arabs arrived in the 7th century and established Islamic influence in the region.{{Cite book |last=Salmon |first=Xavier |title=Fès mérinide: Une capitale pour les arts, 1276-1465 |publisher=Lienart |year=2021 |isbn=9782359063356 |pages=268–271}}

File:Palace gate.jpg, the citadel built by the Almohads on the site of earlier ribats|left]]

In the 10th century the Umayyads of Cordoba, or their Zenata Berber allies in the region, founded a ribat or fortified monastery/outpost in this area, to defend against the Barghawata Berbers who had established a Kharijite state to the south.{{Cite book |last=Parker |first=Richard |title=A practical guide to Islamic Monuments in Morocco |publisher=The Baraka Press |year=1981 |location=Charlottesville, VA |pages=75–85}} This ribat was most likely on the same site as the current Kasbah of the Udayas, but its location has not been confirmed by historians. Around 1030, a new town called Salā (the present Salé) was founded on the opposite side of the river (the north side) by the Banu 'Ashara family.{{cite journal |author1=Rachid El Hour |date=1 January 2000 |title=The Andalusian Qāḍī in the Almoravid Period: Political and Judicial Authority |url=https://www.academia.edu/1091061 |journal=Studia Islamica |publisher=Maisonneuve & Larose |issue=90 |page=80 |doi=10.2307/1596165 |jstor=1596165 |quote=With regard to the judicial administration in the Maghreb, the Almoravids gave the judicial functions to local families. For example in Sale, the Banu 'Ashara family, a very rich family...}}{{cite book |author=Oleg Grabar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4cXo_cMIDAC&pg=PA65 |title=Muqarnas: An Annual on Islamic Art and Architecture |publisher=Brill |year=1990 |isbn=90-04-09347-8 |page=65}}

One of the last Almoravid emirs, Tashfin ibn Ali (r. 1143–1145) built a new ribat on the site of the current kasbah as part of his efforts to hold back the Almohads.{{Cite book |last=Bennison |first=Amira K. |title=The Almoravid and Almohad Empires |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2016 |pages=309–10, 322–25}} Almohads nonetheless defeated the Almoravids and destroyed the ribat shortly after.{{Cite book |last1=Touri |first1=Abdelaziz |title=Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre |last2=Benaboud |first2=Mhammad |last3=Boujibar El-Khatib |first3=Naïma |last4=Lakhdar |first4=Kamal |last5=Mezzine |first5=Mohamed |publisher=Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers |year=2010 |isbn=978-3902782311 |edition=2 |chapter=VIII.1 Rabat}} In 1150 or 1151 the Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min built a new kasbah (citadel) to replace the former ribat, within which he included a palace and a mosque.{{Cite book |last1=Lintz |first1=Yannick |title=Le Maroc médiéval: Un empire de l'Afrique à l'Espagne |last2=Déléry |first2=Claire |last3=Tuil Leonetti |first3=Bulle |publisher=Louvre éditions |year=2014 |isbn=9782350314907 |location=Paris |pages=306–308}} This Almohad kasbah corresponds to the current Kasbah of the Udayas (which was expanded in later periods). Abd al-Mu'min also had an underground canal dug to divert a water source to this location, allowing for future settlement and urbanization in the area. The site became a military staging ground for Almohad armies setting out on campaigns to Al-Andalus.

The Almohad caliph Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur (r. 1184–1199) embarked on an ambitious project to construct a new fortified imperial capital, called al-Mahdiyya or Ribat al-Fath, on the site of what is now the medina (old city) of Rabat, with new walls extending over a vast area beyond the kasbah.History of Morocco, Henri Terrasse, 1952 This project also included the construction of an enormous mosque (the remains of which include the Hassan Tower) and of new grand gateways such as Bab er-Rouah and the main gate of the kasbah, now known as Bab Udaya or Bab al-Kbir. After al-Mansur's death in 1199 the mosque and the capital remained unfinished and his successors lacked the resources or the will to finish it. The new city was never fully inhabited and the site was practically abandoned.{{Cite book |last=Mouline |first=Saïd |title=The City in the Islamic World |publisher=Brill |year=2008 |isbn=9789047442653 |editor-last=Jayyusi |editor-first=Salma K. |pages=643–662 |chapter=Rabat, Salé – Holy Cities of the Two Banks |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tO55DwAAQBAJ&pg=PR7}}

During the Marinid dynasty period (13th to 15th centuries), the town of Salé across the river grew more important than the settlements of the south bank. In 1515 Leo Africanus reported that Rabat had declined so much that only 100 inhabited houses remained.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} The Marinids did build a Great Mosque in what is now the medina of Rabat and on the nearby site of Chellah (ancient Sala) they built a royal necropolis for their dynasty.

In 1609, Philip III decreed the expulsion of all Moriscos (people of Muslim or Moorish descent) from Spain. About 2000 of these refugees, originally from the town of Hornachos near Badajoz, Spain, settled around Salé and occupied the kasbah, attracting between 5000 and 14,000 other Moriscos to join them. Rabat and neighboring Salé united to form the Republic of Bou Regreg in 1627.{{Cite journal|last1=Levant|first1=Yves|last2=Maziane|first2=Leïla|date=2017-01-02|title=The Republic of Salé (1627–1641/1666); an alternative pirate organization model?|journal=Management & Organizational History|volume=12|issue=1|pages=1–29|doi=10.1080/17449359.2017.1296773|s2cid=157363174|issn=1744-9359}} This autonomous republic became a base for corsairs: pirates, also known as the "Salé Rovers", who preyed on merchant ships around the shores of Western Europe.{{Cite book |last=Abun-Nasr |first=Jamil |title=A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1987 |isbn=0521337674 |location=Cambridge}} File:Muraille des Andalous 2 - Rabat.JPG today, added inside the Almohad walled enclosure during the 17th century]]

During this time, the area below the kasbah on the south bank became more heavily populated, thanks to the Morisco and Andalusi refugees. A new "Andalusian Wall" was built to delimit this area in the northern part of the former Almohad walled city. What is now known as the Street of the Consuls became an important road artery even at this time. The name "Rabat" was not yet in use; the city of the south bank was known as "New Salé" while the city of the north bank was known as "Old Salé". Corsair activities were based in New Salé, whereas the inhabitants of Old Salé generally did not participate in piracy.

The pirates did not have to contend with any central authority until al-Rashid, the founder of the 'Alawi dynasty, conquered the area in 1666 and united most of Morocco under his rule. Nonetheless, the 'Alawi sultans allowed the piracy to continue up until the reign of Moulay Slimane in the early 19th century. This led to the shelling of the city by Austria in 1829 after an Austrian ship had been lost to a pirate attack.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

File:Morocco CMS CC-BY (15126572904).jpg (Royal Palace) today; the palace was begun by the 'Alawi sultans in the late 18th century]]

During the early part of the 'Alawi period (17th–18th centuries), the sultans took some interest in the city of the south bank and carried out constructions and repairs to the kasbah. Moulay Isma'il (r. 1672–1727) expanded the kasbah southward and built a royal residence within it towards the end of the 17th century (it serves as a museum today). Moulay Isma'il was also responsible for settling a part of the Udayas (or Oudayas), a guich tribe (military tribe serving the sultan's army), in the kasbah to serve as a counterbalancing force against other unruly tribes in the region.{{Rp|230}} Under Sidi Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah (r. 1757–1790), a new royal palace, the Dar al-Makhzen, was established in the southwest part of the Almohad walled area towards the end of the 18th century. These additions began to give the city the character and function of a royal residence used by the ruling dynasty outside their main capitals.

Moulay Slimane (r. 1792–1822) built another palace along the seaside called Dar al-Bahr and built new mosques such as the Moulay Slimane Mosque. He also ordered the creation of a Jewish quarter, the Mellah, in the eastern part of the Andalusian medina, in a formerly occupied by orchards. It was also towards the beginning of the 19th century that the city walls, formerly limited to the Almohad-era perimeter, were extended significantly to the southwest, thus expanding the city to cover around 840 hectares. The old Almohad walls and gates were still retained and the Almohad-era enclosure remained a more privileged district containing the city's major monuments and its imperial residence. Most of the population remained concentrated in the medina behind the Andalusian Wall in the northern section. In the 1850s, Moulay Abd ar-Rahman (r. 1822–1859) further developed and completed the Dar al-Makhzen palace in the southwest corner of this enclosure. At the end of the 19th century or beginning of the 20th century, the city had some 20,000 to 25,000 inhabitants.{{cite book |author=Janet L. Abu-Lughod |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NKP_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |title=Rabat: Urban Apartheid in Morocco |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1980 |isbn=978-1-4008-5303-8 |pages=}}{{Rp|page=114}}

File:Rabat,_Bank_al-Maghrib.jpg building in central Rabat, completed in 1930 under French colonial rule{{Cite web |title=Bank al-Maghrib, Agence Centrale |url=https://archnet.org/sites/18013 |access-date=2020-06-09 |website=Archnet}}]]

The French invasion of Morocco began in the east with General Hubert Lyautey's occupation of Oujda in March 1907 and in the west with the Bombardment of Casablanca in August 1907.{{Cite book|title=A history of modern Morocco|last=Miller, Susan Gilson.|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139624695|location=New York|pages=75|oclc=855022840}} The Treaty of Fes established the protectorate in March 1912.{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Morocco|title=History of Morocco|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-12-22|language=en}} Acting as French administrator of Morocco, Lyautey decided to relocate the country's capital from Fes to Rabat after the riots of 1912 following the Treaty of Fes.{{Cite journal|title=Fez Riots (1912)|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_sim_0007730|access-date=2021-10-28|website=Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World|doi=10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_sim_0007730}} Lyautey appears to have had a personal affinity for Rabat. He argued that its coastal location was more pleasant and more accessible, and that its proximity to Casablanca, which he estimated would become the major economic center, would be advantageous.{{Rp|pages=138–139}} In 1913, Lyautey hired Henri Prost to design the Ville Nouvelle (Rabat's modern quarter) as an administrative sector, as he did in other major Moroccan cities.{{Rp|pages=145–146}}

The colonial period resulted in major economic changes as well as accelerated urbanization. Prior to this period, the major cities of Morocco had always been Fez and Marrakesh, while the coastal cities were relatively small. Census figures are not available for the early years of the Protectorate, but in 1912 Rabat and nearby Salé can be estimated to have had about 35,000 to 40,000 inhabitants at most, according to Janet Abu-Lughod.{{Rp|page=152}} One early French survey, based on the number of houses rather than a formal census, estimated the population of Rabat to be 25,642. A formal census in 1921 counted the population as 33,714.{{Rp|page=|pages=152–153}} Some of this growth was due to the immigration of foreigners. In 1921, 59% of the population were Moroccan Muslims and 10% were Moroccan Jews, while 21.4% were French nationals and another 10% were foreigners of other origin. Nearby Salé, however, remained more homogenously Moroccan.{{Rp|page=154}} Rabat's population grew to approximately 83,000 in 1936 and to approximately 156,000 in 1952.{{Rp|page=248}}

When Morocco achieved independence in 1956, Mohammed V, the then King of Morocco, chose to have the capital remain at Rabat. Rabat's growth continued unabated. The most important demographic shift after independence was the exodus of foreign nationals and their replacement by Moroccans, who gradually took over the jobs and functions that the foreigners had occupied. In the census of 1971, the population of Rabat had grown to around 368,000, of which only 3.5% were foreigners.{{Rp|page=|pages=152–153}}

Following World War II, the United States had 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.Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 253{{Verify source|date=April 2023|reason=It's not clear that the preceding information is actually contained in this cited source.}} 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.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} 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 fifth Arab League summit took place in Rabat in 1969 to discuss the arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Australian citizen Denis Michael Rohan.{{Cite journal |last=Akhtar |first=Shameem |date=1969 |title=The Rabat Summit Conference |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41394681 |journal=Pakistan Horizon |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=336–340 |jstor=41394681 |issn=0030-980X}}{{Cite web |title=Arab League Summit Conferences, 1964–2000 |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/arab-league-summit-conferences-1964-2000 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=The Washington Institute |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Human Right Centre - Università di Padova {{!}} Pins :: The League of Arab States, not to be confounded with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation |url=https://unipd-centrodirittiumani.it/en/spilli/The-League-of-Arab-States-not-to-be-confounded-with-the-Organization-of-Islamic-Cooperation/148 |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=unipd-centrodirittiumani.it}} In the same year, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an organization that aims to protect the interests of the Muslim world, was founded at a summit in Rabat.{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.oic-oci.org/page/?p_id=52&p_ref=26&lan=en |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=www.oic-oci.org}}{{Cite web |title=Organization of Islamic Cooperation |url=https://www.mofa.gov.bh/Default.aspx?tabid=120&language=en-US |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=www.mofa.gov.bh |language=en-US}}{{Cite book |last=Johansson-Nogués |first=Elisabeth |url=https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004384446/BP000017.xml |title=The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League |date=2020-03-26 |publisher=Brill Nijhoff |isbn=978-90-04-38444-6 |language=en}} The 1974 Arab League summit was also held in Rabat. The summit recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.{{Cite news |date=1974-10-30 |title=Text of Arab Resolution at Rabat |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/30/archives/text-of-arab-resolution-at-rabat.html |access-date=2023-04-19 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |title=Jordan - THE RABAT SUMMIT CONFERENCE |url=https://countrystudies.us/jordan/16.htm |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=countrystudies.us}} In 1985, the sixth edition of the Pan Arab Games was held in Rabat.{{Cite web |title=6th Pan Arab Games, 1985 (Morocco) |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/arabgam85.html |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=www.rsssf.org}}

In 2015, the city became part of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra administrative region.{{cite web |title=Décret fixant le nom des régions |url=http://www.pncl.gov.ma/fr/EspaceJuridique/DocLib/d%C3%A9cret%20fixant%20le%20nombre%20des%20r%C3%A9gions.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518083233/http://www.pncl.gov.ma/fr/EspaceJuridique/DocLib/d%C3%A9cret%20fixant%20le%20nombre%20des%20r%C3%A9gions.pdf |archive-date=18 May 2015 |access-date=2015-07-11 |work=Portail National des Collectivités Territoriales |language=fr |df=dmy-all}} On 28 February 2024, Asmaa Rhlalou declared her resignation, months after she sparked a controversy that called into doubt her authority and validity within the City Council.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-28 |title=Rabat mayor steps down amidst accusations and mounting pressure |url=https://en.hespress.com/80591-rabat-mayor-steps-down-amidst-accusations-and-mounting-pressure.html |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=HESPRESS English - Morocco News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Kasraoui |first=Safaa |title=Asmaa Rhlalou Resigns as Mayor of Rabat |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/02/361106/asmaa-rhlalou-resigns-as-mayor-of-rabat |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Morocco World News |language=en}}

Rabat is an administrative city. It has many shopping districts and residential neighbourhoods. The geographically spread out neighbourhoods are as follows:

The heart of the city consists of three parts: the Medina (old town); the Oudayas and Hassan both located to meet the Bou Regreg; and the Atlantic Ocean.{{Cite web |last=videos |first=All the |title=Rabat - Culture, heritage and festivals {{!}} Moroccan National Tourist Office |url=https://www.visitmorocco.com/en/travel/rabat/medina |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=www.visitmorocco.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Medina of Rabat |url=https://www.morocco.com/attractions/favorites/medina-of-rabat/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=Morocco.com |language=en-US}}

To the west, and along the waterfront, there is a succession of neighbourhoods.

First, around the ramparts, there is the old neighbourhoods, Quartier l'Océan and Quartier les Orangers. Beyond that, a succession of mostly working-class districts: Diour Jamaa, Akkari, Yacoub El Mansour, Massira and Hay el Fath are the main parts of this axis.{{Cite book |last=Elsheshtawy |first=Yasser |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8Zz-2AtuIwC&dq=neighbourhoods+in+rabat&pg=PA102 |title=The Evolving Arab City: Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development |date=2008-05-27 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-12821-1 |language=en}} Hay el Fath, which ends this sequence, evolves into a middle-class neighbourhood.{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Kurby |date=2023-06-29 |title=The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Rabat, Morocco |url=https://blog.kurby.ai/the-10-best-neighborhoods-in-rabat-morocco/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Kurby Real Estate AI |language=en}}

To the east, along the Bouregreg, the Youssoufia region (working and middle class) : Mabella; Taqaddoum; Hay Nahda (mostly middle class); Aviation (middle and upper middle class); and Rommani.

Between the two axes, from north to south, there are three main neighbourhoods (middle class to affluent): Agdal (Ward Building; a lively mix of residential and commercial buildings. The residents are predominantly upper middle class); Hay Riad (affluent villas; this neighbourhood has experienced a surge of momentum since the 2000s); and Souissi (lavish villas, embassies, well-off residential neighborhood).

On the outskirts of Souissi, are a number of less-dense regions mainly comprising large private houses to areas that seem out of the city.

File:Riad District.jpg|Riad District

File:Pietri Square.jpg|Pietri Square

File:Boulevard Rabat.JPG|Rabat Hassan

File:Mohamed V.jpg|Avenue Mohammed V

The prefecture is divided administratively into the following:

Rabat features a Mediterranean climate (Csa) with warm to hot, dry summers and mild, damp winters. 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 cold in winter, it can reach sub {{convert|0|°C|0|abbr=on}} sometimes), with daytime temperatures generally rising about {{convert|7|-|8|C-change}}. The winter highs typically reach only {{convert|17.2|°C|1|abbr=on}} in December–February. Summer daytime highs usually hover around {{convert|27|°C|1|abbr=on}}, but may occasionally exceed {{convert|40|°C|1|abbr=on}} during heat waves. Summer nights are usually pleasant and cool, ranging between {{convert|11|and|19|°C|1|abbr=on}} and rarely exceeding {{convert|20|°C|1|abbr=on}}. Rabat belongs to the sub-humid bioclimatic zone with an average annual precipitation of {{cvt|560|mm}}. The airport station is located about {{convert|5|km|mi}} from the coastline, which will somewhat warm afternoons and cool nights down compared to a seaside location.

{{Weather box

|location = Rabat (Rabat–Salé Airport) 1991–2020, extremes 1943–present

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 30.0

|Feb record high C = 33.9

|Mar record high C = 35.8

|Apr record high C = 37.6

|May record high C = 43.0

|Jun record high C = 46.3

|Jul record high C = 47.2

|Aug record high C = 45.8

|Sep record high C = 43.6

|Oct record high C = 38.7

|Nov record high C = 35.1

|Dec record high C = 30.4

|year record high C = 47.2

|Jan avg record high C = 22.7

|Feb avg record high C = 23.8

|Mar avg record high C = 28.6

|Apr avg record high C = 29.6

|May avg record high C = 33.8

|Jun avg record high C = 34.5

|Jul avg record high C = 36.3

|Aug avg record high C = 35.2

|Sep avg record high C = 33.7

|Oct avg record high C = 31.6

|Nov avg record high C = 27.8

|Dec avg record high C = 23.7

|year avg record high C = 40.5

|Jan high C = 17.4

|Feb high C = 18.2

|Mar high C = 20.2

|Apr high C = 21.2

|May high C = 23.6

|Jun high C = 25.6

|Jul high C = 27.2

|Aug high C = 27.8

|Sep high C = 26.6

|Oct high C = 24.8

|Nov high C = 21.1

|Dec high C = 18.6

|year high C = 22.7

|Jan mean C = 12.3

|Feb mean C = 13.0

|Mar mean C = 14.8

|Apr mean C = 16.0

|May mean C = 18.5

|Jun mean C = 20.8

|Jul mean C = 22.6

|Aug mean C = 23.1

|Sep mean C = 21.7

|Oct mean C = 19.6

|Nov mean C = 15.9

|Dec mean C = 13.7

|year mean C = 17.7

|Jan low C = 7.2

|Feb low C = 7.8

|Mar low C = 9.5

|Apr low C = 10.9

|May low C = 13.3

|Jun low C = 15.9

|Jul low C = 17.9

|Aug low C = 18.3

|Sep low C = 16.8

|Oct low C = 14.4

|Nov low C = 10.8

|Dec low C = 8.8

|year low C = 12.6

|Jan avg record low C = 2.7

|Feb avg record low C = 3.1

|Mar avg record low C = 4.4

|Apr avg record low C = 6.5

|May avg record low C = 8.5

|Jun avg record low C = 11.5

|Jul avg record low C = 13.6

|Aug avg record low C = 14.2

|Sep avg record low C = 12.8

|Oct avg record low C = 10.1

|Nov avg record low C = 5.7

|Dec avg record low C = 3.9

|year avg record low C = 1.5

|Jan record low C = -3.2

|Feb record low C = -2.6

|Mar record low C = -1.0

|Apr record low C = 3.8

|May record low C = 5.3

|Jun record low C = 8.2

|Jul record low C = 10.0

|Aug record low C = 11.0

|Sep record low C = 10.0

|Oct record low C = 5.8

|Nov record low C = 0.3

|Dec record low C = -0.6

|year record low C = -3.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 80.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 60.5

|Mar precipitation mm = 62.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 42.3

|May precipitation mm = 17.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 3.6

|Jul precipitation mm = 0.4

|Aug precipitation mm = 0.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 13.7

|Oct precipitation mm = 54.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 94.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 90.2

|year precipitation mm = 521.9

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 7.6

|Feb precipitation days = 6.4

|Mar precipitation days = 6.4

|Apr precipitation days = 5.3

|May precipitation days = 2.7

|Jun precipitation days = 0.8

|Jul precipitation days = 0.2

|Aug precipitation days = 0.3

|Sep precipitation days = 1.9

|Oct precipitation days = 5.2

|Nov precipitation days = 7.4

|Dec precipitation days = 7.6

|year precipitation days = 51.8

|Jan humidity = 82

|Feb humidity = 82

|Mar humidity = 80

|Apr humidity = 78

|May humidity = 77

|Jun humidity = 78

|Jul humidity = 78

|Aug humidity = 79

|Sep humidity = 80

|Oct humidity = 79

|Nov humidity = 80

|Dec humidity = 83

|year humidity = 80

|Jan sun = 179.9

|Feb sun = 182.3

|Mar sun = 232.0

|Apr sun = 254.5

|May sun = 290.5

|Jun sun = 287.6

|Jul sun = 314.7

|Aug sun = 307.0

|Sep sun = 261.1

|Oct sun = 235.1

|Nov sun = 190.5

|Dec sun = 180.9

|year sun = 2916.1

|Jand sun = 5.8

|Febd sun = 6.5

|Mard sun = 7.5

|Aprd sun = 8.5

|Mayd sun = 9.4

|Jund sun = 9.6

|Juld sun = 10.2

|Augd sun = 9.9

|Sepd sun = 8.7

|Octd sun = 7.8

|Novd sun = 6.4

|Decd sun = 5.8

|yeard sun = 8.0

|source 1 = NOAA (sun 1961–1990){{cite web

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Morocco/CSV/RABATSALE_60135.csv

| title = Rabat Sale Climate Normals for 1991–2020

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 8 October 2023

| url-status = live

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231008052738/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Morocco/CSV/RABATSALE_60135.csv

| archive-date = 8 October 2023}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-I/FM/60135.TXT

| title = Rabat Climate Normals 1961–1990

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = 8 October 2023

| url-status = live

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231008053624/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-I/FM/60135.TXT

| archive-date = 8 October 2023}}

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1973–1993, record highs and lows),

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_601350_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Rabat-Salé (Int. Flugh.) / Marokko

| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = de

| access-date = October 14, 2016}} Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)

{{cite web

| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/station-628.php

| title = Station Rabat

| publisher = Météo Climat

| language = French

| accessdate = October 14, 2016}} Infoclimat

{{cite web

| url = https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/annee/1991/rabat-sale/valeurs/60135.html

| title = Climatologie de l'année à Rabat-Sale

| publisher = Infoclimat

| language = fr

| access-date = 10 October 2023}}

}}

The biggest place for theatre is the Mohammed V Theatre in the centre of the town, which was opened in 1962.{{Cite web |last=V |first=Théâtre Mohammed |title=Théâtre National Mohammed V {{!}} Théâtre Mohammed V |url=https://tm5.ma/info-theatre/ |access-date=2022-04-21 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Theatre National Mohammed V, Rabat, Maroc, Concert, Musique, Humour |url=http://www.babelfan.ma/tous-les-lieux/details/0/2/theatre-national-mohammed-v.html |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=www.babelfan.ma |language=fr-fr |archive-date=2022-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522084907/http://www.babelfan.ma/tous-les-lieux/details/0/2/theatre-national-mohammed-v.html |url-status=dead }} Construction on a new performing arts center, the Grand Theatre of Rabat, began in 2014.{{Cite web |title=Archnet |url=https://www.archnet.org/sites/19802 |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=www.archnet.org}} Designed by Zaha Hadid, it will reportedly be the largest theater in the Arab world and in Africa. It was scheduled to open in 2021.{{Cite web |title=Grand Théâtre de Rabat {{!}} Rabat, Morocco Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/rabat/attractions/grand-theatre-de-rabat/a/poi-sig/1633565/355499 |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=18 August 2020 |title=Grand Theatre of Rabat soon to open as the largest in Arab world, Africa {{!}} |url=https://thearabweekly.com/grand-theatre-rabat-soon-open-largest-arab-world-africa |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=AW |language=en}}

Many organizations 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 and introduced international and local artists. Other independent spaces opened few years after, such as Le Cube, also set up in a private space.

{{Main|Mawazine}}

Mawazine is a music festival in Rabat organized under the auspices of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, that started in 2001 where music groups, fans and spectators come together in a week-long celebration of culture and music both locally and internationally. Musicians such as Scorpions,{{Cite web |title=Morocco hosts musicians — and imprisons its own |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna47575640 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421170830/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna47575640 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=NBC News |date=26 May 2012 |language=en}} The Weeknd,{{Cite web |last=Senoussi |first=Zoubida |date=14 May 2018 |title=The Weeknd to Perform at Morocco's Mawazine Festival |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/05/246285/the-weeknd-mawazine-festival |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Morocco World News |language=en}} Jennifer Lopez,{{Cite news |date=2015-06-02 |title=Jennifer Lopez Moroccan concert sparks calls for minister's resignation |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32979805 |access-date=2023-04-21}} Kanye West,{{Cite web |title=Kanye West performs at Mawazine Festival |url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/music/kanye-west-performs-mawazine-festival/AFCQ9D2vsPmPL4BEc1xHzH/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=ajc |language=English}} Pitbull,{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=23 May 2016 |title=Pitbull At Mawazine Festival…. Again |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/05/187245/pitbull-at-mawazine-festival-again |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=Morocco World News |language=en}} Rihanna,{{Cite web |title=Rihanna Kicks Off Morocco's Mawazine Global Music Fest |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/w0yju9/rihanna-kicks-off-moroccos-mawazine-global-music-fest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421170830/https://www.mtv.com/news/w0yju9/rihanna-kicks-off-moroccos-mawazine-global-music-fest |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=MTV |language=en}} Elton John,{{Cite news |date=2010-05-27 |title=Elton John performs in Morocco despite protest |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10170338 |access-date=2023-04-21}} Stromae{{Cite web |title=Maroc: Stromae explose le record d'affluence de Mawazine – Jeune Afrique |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/depeches/16264/politique/maroc-stromae-explose-le-record-daffluence-de-mawazine/ |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=JeuneAfrique.com |language=fr-FR}} and many others have performed at the festival.

Mawazine was host to more than 2,500,000 in 2013. Workshops are available for teaching dances and other arts. The festival is free. However, while most areas are free, there are those that require payment, specifically the smaller stages being the historical site of Chellah, the Mohammed V National Theater, and the Renaissance Cultural Center.Bill K. Anderson, [http://digitaljournal.com/a-and-e/music/mawazine-the-binding-of-cultures-the-channeling-of-acceptance/article/385686 Mawazine — The binding of cultures, the channeling of acceptance], http://digitaljournal.com/, 5 June 2014

The places of worship are predominantly Muslim mosques.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1959 The oldest mosque in the city is the "Old Mosque" (Jama' al-'Atiqa) in the Kasbah of the Udayas. It was originally founded during Abd al-Mu'min's construction of the kasbah in 1150, though its current form mostly dates from an 18th-century restoration.{{Cite web |last=France |first=PASS Technologie, 26, rue Louis Braille, 75012 Paris |title=Al masjid al-Atiq (Kasbah des Oudaïa) |url=http://www.idpc.ma/view/pc_architecture/sanae:300308?f_id_region=10&num=5 |access-date=2020-01-02 |website=www.idpc.ma |language=fr-FR |archive-date=2020-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102185859/http://www.idpc.ma/view/pc_architecture/sanae:300308%3Ff_id_region%3D10%26num%3D5 |url-status=dead }} Other important mosques include the Great Mosque in the old medina, also known as the el-Kharrazin Mosque, and the As-Sunna Mosque in central Rabat, originally completed in 1785 by Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdallah.{{Cite book |last=Marçais |first=Georges |title=L'architecture musulmane d'Occident |publisher=Arts et métiers graphiques |year=1954 |location=Paris |pages=391}}{{Cite journal |last=El Mghari |first=Mina |date=2017 |title=Tendances architecturales de la mosquée marocaine (XVIIème-XIXème siècles) |journal=Hespéris-Tamuda |volume=LII (3) |pages=229–254}}

The last remaining synagogues in Rabat are the Rabbi Shalom Zaoui synagogue and the Talmud Torah Synagogue.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yabiladi.com/articles/details/24805/plus-belles-synagogues-maroc.html|title=Les 10 plus belles synagogues du Maroc|last=Yabiladi.com|website=www.yabiladi.com|language=fr|access-date=2019-10-11}}{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Judah Ari |title=Gantz meets with Moroccan Jews at Rabat synagogue |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/gantz-meets-with-moroccan-jews-at-rabat-synagogue/ |access-date=2022-04-22 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}} There are also Christian churches and temples, including an Evangelical church and St. Peter's Cathedral (Cathédrale de Saint-Pierre), which hosts the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rabat.

File:Sunna Mosque, Rabat (4316777665).jpg|Sunnah Mosque, built in 1785 under Sultan Muhammad III{{Cite web |title=جامع السنة |url=http://www.habous.gov.ma/map-mosquee/1984-جامع-السنة.html |access-date=2019-10-11 |website=www.habous.gov.ma |language=en-gb}}

File:Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Rabat.JPG|Saint-Pierre Cathedral

File:Synagogue Rabbi Chalom Zaoui Rabat 08112020 015.jpg|Rabbi Shalom Zaoui synagogue

File:Lion and lioness at the zoo of Rabat, Morocco.jpgs) at the Rabat Zoo]]

The Oudayas Museum (also formerly known as the National Museum of Jewellery) is housed in a pavilion residence built by Sultan Moulay Isma'il (r. 1672–1727) inside the Kasbah of the Udayas. It was first opened in 1915, making it one of the oldest public museums in Morocco. Its collections, augmented by private donations, feature diverse objects from throughout Morocco, mostly from the 18th to 20th centuries.{{Cite web |title=MUSÉE DES OUDAYAS – FNM |url=https://fnm.ma/musees-en-cours-de-restauration/musee-des-oudayas/ |access-date=2022-04-21 |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web |title=Udayas Museum (National Museum of Jewellery) |url=https://www.museumwnf.org/partner.php?id=Mus01_B;ma&theme=ISL&tye=museum |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=MWNF - Museum With No Frontiers}} In 2006 it became the National Museum of Jewellery, with exhibits focusing on the history of Moroccan jewellery. As of 2019 it was under renovations to be transformed into a new museum to be called Musée du caftan et de la parure ('Museum of the caftan and adornment').{{Cite web |date=2016-05-17 |title=Rénovation des musées : Le chantier démarre en juillet |url=https://leseco.ma/archives/renovation-des-musees-le-chantier-demarre-en-juillet.html |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=LesEco.ma |language=fr-FR}}

The Museum of History and Civilizations (formerly the National Archeological Museum) showcases the history of Morocco through a collection of archeological artifacts from the Punic, Mauretanian, Roman, and Islamic periods. This includes a collection of ancient Roman bronze and marble statuary from sites such as Lixus, Volubilis, and Chellah, as well as coins, ceramics, and architectural fragments from the Islamic period.{{Cite web |title=Rabat Archaeological Museum |url=https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/pm_partner.php?theme=ISL&id=Mus01;ma |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Discover Islamic Art - Virtual Museum}}{{Cite web |title=Museum of History & Civilisation {{!}} Rabat, Morocco Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/rabat/attractions/museum-of-history-civilisation/a/poi-sig/1141807/355499 |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=14 April 2017 |title=Welcome to the Moroccan History and Civilizations Museum |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2017/04/213954/welcome-to-the-moroccan-history-and-civilizations-museum |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Morocco World News |language=en}}

The Rabat Zoo (officially called the Zoological Garden of Rabat) was opened in 1973, in part to house the lions that were previously kept at the Royal Palace.{{Cite web |last=MATIN |first=LE |title=Un nouveau parc zoologique à Rabat |url=https://lematin.ma/journal/2006/Conservation-des-especes-menacees_Un-nouveau-parc-zoologique-a-Rabat/76025.html |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Le Matin |date=September 2007 |language=fr}} The lions are descended from the now-extinct Barbary lions.{{cite journal |last1=Burger |first1=J. |last2=Hemmer |first2=H. |year=2006 |title=Urgent call for further breeding of the relic zoo population of the critically endangered Barbary lion (Panthera leo leo Linnaeus 1758) |url=http://www.uni-mainz.de/FB/Biologie/Anthropologie/MolA/Download/Burger%20Hemmer%202006.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=European Journal of Wildlife Research |volume=52 |pages=54–58 |doi=10.1007/s10344-005-0009-z |s2cid=30407194 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703152826/http://www.uni-mainz.de/FB/Biologie/Anthropologie/MolA/Download/Burger%20Hemmer%202006.pdf |archive-date=3 July 2007 |df=dmy-all}}{{cite journal |last1=Black |first1=S. |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=N. |last3=Harland |first3=A. |last4=Groombridge |first4=J. |year=2010 |title=Maintaining the genetic health of putative Barbary lions in captivity: an analysis of Moroccan Royal Lions |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00535229/document |journal=European Journal of Wildlife Research |volume=56 |pages=21–31 |doi=10.1007/s10344-009-0280-5|s2cid=44941372 }} Since then the zoo has expanded to house some 1800 animals and has engaged in conservation efforts.{{Cite web |date=15 November 2017 |title=Jardin Zoologique de Rabat : immersion dans le monde animal… - La Vie éco |url=https://www.lavieeco.com/societe/jardin-zoologique-de-rabat-immersion-dans-le-monde-animal/ |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=La Vie Éco |language=fr-FR}}

The Bank al-Maghrib Museum was inaugurated in 2002 and is housed at the Bank al-Maghrib building downtown. Its main exhibits include a collection of coins and currency from ancient times to the modern era, as well as a gallery of Orientialist art.{{Cite web |title=Sharing the history of an institution and the heritage of a country |url=https://www.bkam.ma/museum/About-the-museum/Museum/Sharing-the-history-of-an-institution-and-the-heritage-of-a-country |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=Bank al-Maghrib}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Bank Al Maghrib Museum |url=https://www.visitrabat.com/en/lieux/musee-bank-al-maghrib/ |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=Visit Rabat |publisher=Conseil Régional du Tourisme - Rabat-Salé-Kenitra |language=en}} The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art was inaugurated in 2014.{{Cite web |title=MUSÉE MOHAMMED VI D'ART MODERNE ET CONTEMPORAIN, RABAT – FNM |url=https://fnm.ma/musees-ouverts/musee-mohammed-vi-dart-moderne-et-contemporain/ |access-date=2022-04-21 |language=fr-FR}}

File:Hassan Tower.jpg]]

The Kasbah of the Udayas (also spelled "Kasbah of the Oudaias") is the oldest part of the present-day city, built by the Almohads in the 12th century. It was later refortified and expanded by the corsairs and the 'Alawi dynasty in the 17th and 18th centuries.{{Cite book |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1401/documents/ |title=Rabat, capitale moderne et ville historique: un patrimoine en partage |publisher=Royaume du Maroc (state submission to UNESCO for World Heritage Site nomination) |year=2011 |at=(see "Nomination text" at linked page)}}{{Rp|171}} The kasbah is now a residential district with traditional houses painted white and blue on the outside. Its southern section includes the "Andalusian Garden", landscaped in the 20th century.{{Cite web |date=2018-02-05 |title=Jardin Andalou des Oudayas – 2ème partie |url=http://www.rabat-maroc.net/le-jardin-des-oudayas-2/ |access-date=2019-12-24 |website=Rabat-Maroc.net |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web |title=Kasbah des Oudaias {{!}} Rabat, Morocco Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/rabat/attractions/kasbah-des-oudaias/a/poi-sig/423799/355499 |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Lonely Planet |language=en}}

The city's historic walls were first built by the Almohad caliph Ya'qub al-Mansur and completed in 1197, with later additions in the 17th and 19th centuries. A number of monumental gates are found along the walls, the most notable being Bab er-Rouah. The other Almohad-era gates are Bab el-Had, Bab al-Alou, Bab Zaers, and Bab al-Hadid, though many of them were modified in more recent periods. The 17th-century Andalusian Wall, which divides the zone inside the Almohad walls, has five more gates: Bab Jdid (formerly Bab Teben, mostly demolished), Bab al-Bouiba, Bab Chellah, Bab Mellah, and Bab Diouana.

The old medina, located below the kasbah and above the line of the Andalusian Wall, contains many historic mosques and traditional houses. The rest of the area within the Almohad walls but south of the Andalusian Wall was largely built up in the 20th century when Rabat became the capital during the French Protectorate. These districts contain numerous public buildings and apartment blocs built in contemporary styles of that period, such as neo-Moorish (known as néo-Mauresque or arabisant in French), Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and modern architecture.{{Rp|pages=38–42}} Examples of these include the Bank al-Maghrib building (built in the 1920s), the Central Post Office building (circa 1921, expanded in 1930s), the Parliament building (built in the 1920s), St.-Peter's Cathedral (inaugurated in 1921, with later additions), the Rabat-Ville train station (early 1920s), and some of the apartment blocs on Rue Gaza (built or begun in the 1930s), among others.{{Rp|pages=44–55}}{{Cite web |title=Archnet |url=https://www.archnet.org/sites/18013 |access-date=2022-04-22 |website=www.archnet.org}}{{Cite web |title=Archnet |url=https://www.archnet.org/sites/18014 |access-date=2022-04-22 |website=www.archnet.org}}{{Rp|page=199}}{{Cite book |last= |first= |title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780195309911 |editor-last=M. Bloom |editor-first=Jonathan |location= |pages= |chapter=Morocco, Kingdom of |editor-last2=S. Blair |editor-first2=Sheila}}

Overlooking the shores of the river is the Hassan Tower, a monumental unfinished minaret constructed by Ya'qub al-Mansur in the late 12th century. It was built for an enormous mosque planned as part of the larger city al-Mansur was constructing. Across from the tower today, at the southern end of the mosque's remains, is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (d. 1961), which houses the remains of King Mohammed V and King Hassan II. The mausoleum, completed in 1971, was designed in a neo-Moorish or Moroccan revivalist style by Vietnamese architect Cong Vo Toan.{{Cite book |last=Bloom |first=Jonathan M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRHbDwAAQBAJ&q=Architecture+of+the+Islamic+West%3A+North+Africa+and+the+Iberian+Peninsula%2C+700-1800&pg=PP1 |title=Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800 |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-0300218701 |location= |pages=275–276}}{{Cite web |last=Dardar |first=Wissal |title=5 Historical Mausoleums You Should Visit in Morocco |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2021/01/332072/5-historical-mausoleums-you-should-visit-in-morocco |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=moroccoworldnews |language=en}}

A short distance south of the historic city walls is the archeological site of Chellah, a walled enclosure containing a 13th to 14th-century Marinid funerary and religious complex as well as the ruins of the Roman city of Sala Colonia. Across the river is the city of Salé, which also preserves a historic medina. The medina of Salé includes monuments from the Marinid period such as Bab Mrissa and the Madrasa of Abu al-Hasan as well as landmarks from later periods.{{Cite book |last1=Touri |first1=Abdelaziz |title=Le Maroc andalou : à la découverte d'un art de vivre |last2=Benaboud |first2=Mhammad |last3=Boujibar El-Khatib |first3=Naïma |last4=Lakhdar |first4=Kamal |last5=Mezzine |first5=Mohamed |publisher=Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Royaume du Maroc & Museum With No Frontiers |year=2010 |isbn=978-3902782311 |edition=2 |chapter=VIII.2. Salé}}

File:Marrocos-Kasbah-Oudaya-Rabat-Luis-Filipe-Gaspar.jpg|The Kasbah of the Udayas, seen from the river

File:Une ruelle de la Kasbah des Oudayas.jpg|Typical street and houses inside the Kasbah

File:Rue des consuls Rabat 2020.jpg|Rue des Consuls, one of the main streets of the medina

File:Morocco - Rabat (31387809034).jpg|City walls, including Bab al-Had (left)

File:باب الرواح.jpg|Bab ar-Rouah

File:Moroccan Parliament Building.jpg|Parliament of Morocco

File:Rabat, Telegraphe Poste Telephone.jpg|Central Post Office

File:Gate of Chellah, 2019.jpg|Gates of Chellah

File:Honor guard at Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco.jpg|Honor guard at Mausoleum of Mohammed V

File:Rabat Lighthouse (fort Borj Sirat, برج الصراط).jpg|Rabat Lighthouse and (Fortress) Borj Sirat

Public:

• Mohammed V University was founded in 1957{{Cite web |last=Brooms |first=Derrick |date=2015-02-24 |title=Rabat, Morocco (10th century- ) • |url=https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/rabat-morocco-10th-century/ |access-date=2023-04-19 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Mohammed V University |url=https://www.unipage.net/en/22521/universit_mohammed_v_agdal |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=www.unipage.net |language=en}}
• National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics was founded 1961
• National School of Architecture (1980){{cite web |language=fr-FR |title=ENA Maroc - École Nationale d'Architecture |url=https://orientation24.com/apres-bac/ena-maroc-ecole-nationale-darchitecture/ |date=2021-04-07 |access-date=2023-11-08}}

Private:

• HEM Business School, founded 1993

File:Rabat-Salé airport.jpg]]

Rabat's main airport is Rabat–Salé Airport.

File:Train of Morocco.jpg]]

Rabat is served by two principal railway stations run by the national rail service ONCF.

Rabat-Ville and Rabat Agdal are the two main inter-city stations, from which trains run south to Casablanca, Marrakech and El Jadida, north to Tangier, or east to Meknes, Fez, Taza and Oujda.

ONCF operates the Le Bouregreg urban rail for Rabat-Salé agglomeration. Marrakesh is a 4 hr journey, Fez 2{{frac|1|2}} hr on an express train and 3{{frac|1|2}} hr on other trains and Casablanca 1 hr.{{Cite web |title=Visit Africa's Rabat City, Morocco |url=https://visitafrica.site/destinations/experience-morocco/rabat/ |access-date=2021-04-20 |website=visitafrica.site |language=en-GB}}

File:Tramway de Rabat-Salé.jpg]]

The Rabat–Salé tramway was the first tramway network in Morocco and connects Rabat with Salé across the river. It was opened on 11 May 2011 after a construction cost of 3.6 billion MAD.{{Cite web |last=El Masaiti |first=Amira |date=2023-07-20 |title=Rabat Tramway network extends in the directions of Temara and Sale |url=https://en.hespress.com/67795-rabat-tramway-network-extends-for-kilometers-in-the-directions-of-temara-and-sale.html |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=HESPRESS English - Morocco News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=L'Opinion |title=Tramway / Rabat-Salé : 7,8 MDH pour la 3ème phase de développement |url=https://www.lopinion.ma/Tramway-Rabat-Sale-78-MDH-pour-la-3eme-phase-de-developpement_a29624.html |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=L'Opinion Maroc |language=fr}} The network was constructed by Alstom Citadis and is operated by Transdev.{{Cite web |title=Morocco: Inauguration of tramway line between Rabat and Salé |url=https://www.icafrica.org/en/news-events/infrastructure-news/article/morocco-inauguration-of-tramway-line-between-rabat-and-sale-1965/ |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=ICA |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Qui sommes-nous ? |url=https://www.tram-way.ma/fr/qui-sommes-nous/ |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=Tramway Rabat Salé |language=fr-FR}} As of February 2022, the network had two lines with a total length of {{convert|26.9|km|0|abbr=in}} and 43 stations.{{Cite web |title=MISE EN SERVICE COMMERCIALE DE L'EXTENSION DE LA LIGNE 2 DU RESEAU DU TRAMWAY DE RABAT SALE LE MERCREDI 16 FERVIER 2022 |url=https://www.tram-way.ma/fr/mise-en-service-commerciale-de-lextension-de-la-ligne-2-du-reseau-du-tramway-de-rabat-sale-le-mercredi-16-fervier-2022/ |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=Tramway Rabat Salé |language=fr-FR}} In 2023, an extension of the network was being planned and is due to be completed by 2028.

After some years of neglect as investment was directed at the tramway, the existing operator, STAREO, was displaced in 2019. A contract was awarded to Alsa-City Bus, a joint venture between Moroccan company City Bus and Spanish company Alsa, a subsidiary of the Mobico Group. The new operator took over in July 2019 with a commitment to three hundred and fifty new buses. These will comprise 102 Mercedes-Benz and 248 Scania vehicles. The contract covers a 15-year period, renewable for seven years, and promises approximately 10 billion MAD investment into the bus transport system in the region.Buses Worldwide October 2019, ISSN 0961-2122

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (Arabic: استاد الأمير مولاي عبد لله) is a multi-purpose stadium in Rabat, Morocco. It is named after Prince Moulay Abdellah. It was built in 1983 and is the home ground of ASFAR (football club). It is used mostly for football matches, and it can also stage athletics. The stadium holds 52,000. Since 2008 it is host of the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat.

Rabat hosted the 2019 African Games after Malabo, Equatorial Guinea was stripped of hosting due to economic matters. It was the first time the African Games were hosted by Morocco. It is one of the potential host cities for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Rabat's most popular sport club is the association football clubs ASFAR and FUS de Rabat. Well known in the continental competitions. AS FAR have won 2 major African titles, including 1 CAF Champions League and 1 CAF Confederation Cup.{{Cite web |title=African Club Competitions 1985 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/afcup85.html#cc |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=www.rsssf.org}}{{Cite web |title=African Club Competitions 2005 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/afcup05.html#confed |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=www.rsssf.org}} While Fus de Rabat has only managed to win one major African title, 1 CAF Confederation Cup.{{Cite web |title=African Club Competitions 2010 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/afcup2010.html#confed |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=www.rsssf.org}}

The local football teams are:

• ASFAR (football club)
• ASFAR (women)
• FUS de Rabat
• Stade Marocain
• Hilal de Rabat
• Union de Touarga
• Youssoufia Club de Rabat

• ASFAR
• FUS de Rabat
• Le Stade Marocain

The local basketball teams are:

• ASFAR
• FUS de Rabat
• Moghreb de Rabat
• FAR

• ASFAR
• FUS de Rabat
• Crédit agricole Rabat

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Politicians:

• Reuven Abergel, Israeli social and political activist
• Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, French judge and diplomat
• Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister of France
• Richard Dell'Agnola, French politician
• Omar El Bahraoui, former mayor of Rabat
• David Levy, Israeli politician
• Maxim Levy, Israeli politician
• Bernard Squarcini, French counter-terrorism director
• Asmaa Rhlalou, mayor of Rabat

Scientists, writers and philosophers:

• Abdellah Taïa, writer
• Mehdi Elmanjra, scholar
• Robert Assaraf, historian
• Alain Badiou, French philosopher
• Mohammed Suerte Bennani, Moroccan novelist
• Mohammed Berrada, Moroccan novelist, literary critic, and translator
• Helene Hagan, Franco-American writer anthropologist
• Abdelfattah Kilito, Moroccan writer
• Bahaa Trabelsi, Moroccan novelist
• Mohammad Naciri, Regional Director for the Arab States and Asia Pacific for the UN Women

Artists:

• Samira Said, Moroccan singer and actress
• Saad Lamjarred, Moroccan singer and actor
• Hajib, Moroccan Chaabi singer
• Shlomo Bar, Israeli musician
• Fabienne Égal, French announcer and television host
• Roland Giraud, French actor
• Macha Méril, French actress and writer
• Daniel Siboni, French photographer
• Stormy (rapper), Moroccan rapper and songwriter
• Bryce Hudson, American painter and photographer

Sports:

• Saïd Aït-Bahi, Moroccan footballer
• Rachid Benmahmoud, Former footballer
• Bouabid Bouden, Moroccan footballer
• Custodio Dos Reis, French road bicycle racer
• Younes El Aynaoui, Moroccan tennis player
• Adam Ennafati, footballer
• Younes Khattabi, Moroccan rugby league player
• Ait Hammi Miloud, Moroccan Olympic boxer
• Jean Patrick Lesobre, French Rugby Union player
• Younès Moudrik, Moroccan long jumper
• Youssef Rabeh, Former footballer
• Brahim Taleb, Moroccan long-distance runner

Royal descendants:

• Mohammed VI of Morocco, King of Morocco
• Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco
• Princess Lalla Aicha of Morocco

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{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Morocco}}

Rabat is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Jumelage Rabat|url=http://www.toutrabat.com/jumelage-ville-rabat.php|website=toutrabat.com|publisher=Tout Rabat|access-date=2020-10-20}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Cairo, Egypt
• Guangzhou, China{{cite web |title=Sister Cities|url=http://www.eguangzhou.gov.cn/2018-06/05/c_253291.htm|website=eguangzhou.gov.cn|publisher=Guangzhou|access-date=2020-10-20}}
• Honolulu, United States
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Lisbon, Portugal{{cite web|title=Acordos de geminação|url=https://www.lisboa.pt/municipio/relacoes-internacionais/acordos-de-geminacao|website=lisboa.pt|publisher=Lisboa|language=pt|access-date=2020-10-20|archive-date=2020-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203073427/https://www.lisboa.pt/municipio/relacoes-internacionais/acordos-de-geminacao|url-status=dead}}
• Lyon, France{{cite web |title=Jumelage|url=http://www.economie.grandlyon.com/tous-les-partenariats-internationaux-villes.html|website=economie.grandlyon.com|publisher=Grand Lyon économie|language=fr|access-date=2020-10-20}}
• Madrid, Spain
• Nablus, Palestine{{cite web|title=The twinning between Dundee and Nablus|url=http://www.dundee-nablus.org.uk/Jun15/OurTwinning.php|website=dundee-nablus.org.uk|publisher=Dundee–Nablus Twinning Association|access-date=2020-10-20|archive-date=2023-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225171935/http://www.dundee-nablus.org.uk/Jun15/OurTwinning.php|url-status=dead}}

• Tunis, Tunisia

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{{Reflist}}

{{See also|Timeline of Rabat#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Rabat}}

{{Commons category|Rabat}}

{{wikivoyage}}

• [http://www.visitrabat.com Rabat Tourist Portal]
• [http://lexicorient.com/morocco/rabat.htm Entry in Lexicorient] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050206205604/http://lexicorient.com/morocco/rabat.htm |date=2005-02-06 }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.islamicarchitecturedatabase.org/ircica/index2.php?page=Country&id=34 |title=Rabat |work=Islamic Cultural Heritage Database |publisher=Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture |location=Istanbul |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427083717/http://www.islamicarchitecturedatabase.org/ircica/index2.php?page=Country&id=34 |archive-date=2013-04-27 }}
• {{cite web |author=ArchNet.org |publisher=MIT School of Architecture and Planning |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts, US |url=http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=2031 |title=Rabat |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223905/http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=2031 |archive-date=2013-12-02 }}

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Category:Prefectural capitals in Morocco

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