Near Rabat
The area around Rabat refers to the region to which Rabat belongs, i.e. Rabat-Salé-Kénitra. They are also the three main cities in this part of Morocco. They somehow form a metropolis inhabited by just over 4.7 million people. Nevertheless, a large part of its population (about 1.4 million people) lives in rural areas.
Around Rabat, the nearest town is Salé, separated from Rabat only by the Bou Regreg river. Like the Moroccan capital, it also faces the Atlantic. Salé is home to the international airport, so it is easy to understand that it is one of the main gateways to Rabat.
In Salé, the Medina and its souk, which focuses on trade and the needs of the local population, are definitely worth a visit. That is precisely why it is much more authentic than the neighbouring Rabat Medina and a very interesting place to understand some of Morocco’s essence.
Like Rabat, Salé had its own defensive wall, one of the oldest in Morocco, sections of which are still standing. It is striking that they are now whitewashed. Some of the wall’s main gates still remain. They include Bab Maalaq, Bab Jdid, Bab Sidi Bou Haja, Bab Sebta, Bab Ferran, Bab Chaafa and Bab Fes.
Within the historic city of Salé is the Great Mosque, built by the Almohads in the latter part of the 12th century. It was renovated two centuries later, during the reign of sultan Abu El Hassan. Also located there is the Medersa (or Madrasa), dating from the 14th century and erected by the same sultan.
On the outskirts of Rabat, Kénitra is another coastal town by the mouth of the Sebu river and in the middle of a vast area of marshes and coastal lagoons. It was known during the French rule as Port Lyautey. The Europeans transformed what was a typical kasbah into a port with strategic military and commercial importance.
Today in Kénitra you can enjoy strolling along its wide sandy beaches (not entirely suitable for bathing, but good for surfing) or through the medina, among the stalls where all kinds of products are sold or exchanged. The epicentre of this area, the oldest and most authentic part of the city, is the Place Chouhada. Nearby and equally interesting from a commercial point of view is the Khabazat neighbourhood.
Those looking to get away from the urban environment have the possibility of enjoying two natural areas of special beauty: on the one hand, there is the Temara forest, with a large woodland made up of cork oaks, eucalyptus and plants representative of the undergrowth of this part of the country.
On the other hand, also on the outskirts of Rabat, is the Maamora forest, near Kénitra. It has no less than 50,000 hectares of holm oaks and cork oaks, one of the great natural jewels along Morocco’s Atlantic coastline.