Flat Brownie in Rabat, Morocco

Hi all !

Flat Brownie had a whirlwind 2-day trip to Rabat, Morocco for a friend's 40^th birthday celebration.

The flight from Paris took only 3 hours, but the time difference is +2 hours, so it took a little adjusting to the new time and place.

The official language here is Arabic, but most educated people in Morocco also speak French as it was a French Protectorate from 1912 to 1956.

The currency is the Moroccan dirham.

Here is the front door of our “riad” (typical Moroccan hotel) :

View of the ocean from the ramparts (the Kasbah is a fortified city with very high and thick walls):

You can see the Moroccan flag flying. It is red (symbolizing the monarch’s link to the Prophet Mohammed) with a 5-pointed green star (the green symbolizes peace and the 5 points represent the 5 calls to prayer each day as well as the 5 pillars of Islam : fasting, giving to the poor, pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, daily prayer, believing in one God)

First, we took a tour of our neighborhood, the Kasbah des Oudayas, which is famous for its lovely houses and blue painted walls. Some examples :

Here is FB sitting on one of the homes’ typical mosaic fountains…

She enjoyed some traditional music with a street musician :

Then it was off to the Café Maure for some mint tea and oriental pastries … yum !

The view of the ocean from the Café :

At the National Museum of Jewelry we discovered some lovely examples of Moroccan jewelry from prehistoric times to today. This is the central courtyard :

About to enjoy a Moroccan Coke (note the name “Coca Cola” written in Arabic) just outside the “Medina” (a kind of covered shopping arcade filled with various small shops selling everything from spices and fish to handbags and souvenirs, also known as a “souk”) :

Inside the Medina (central arcade) :

A “babouche”, or slipper, store :

Colorful Hamman mitts :

Fish market :

Next we visited the Pirate Prison. A view of Rabat and the Hassan II Tower (in the background, on the right) :

Moroccan women are traditionally veiled :

Fishing boats on the Bou Regreg river :

Morocco is a Constitutional Monarchy currently ruled by Mohammed VI :

Here is a member of the Royal Guard watching over the entrance to the Tomb of Mohammed V :

Entrance to the Mohammed V Mausoleum :

Ornate door at the Mausoleum :

The ceiling of the Mausoleum :

The Hassan II Tower and gardens :

View of the Tower from the Mohammed V Mausoleum :

We walked a lot but had a great time !

Be back in touch soon with Flat Brownie’s Parisian adventures…

Bisous ( that’s French for ”kisses”),

Ayn