THE CHELLAH IN RABAT, MOROCCO

 My recent trip to Spain and Portugal started out with ten nights in Rabat, Morocco.  I was surprised to find myself back in Morocco after being there a month already last year but a few family members wanted to go watch the Woman's U17 Football World Cup that was being held in Rabat so back I went.  My only contact with Rabat on my previous trip had been to see it from a passing train, so the city was all new for me to explore.  I must say I was really impressed with the place.  It is of course the capital city of the country so lots of government buildings as well as a few palaces. There are many wide, palm lined streets through the whitewashed new city as well as narrow alleys and markets to explore in the old parts.  Lots of history with castle walls overlooking the river entrance from the ocean.  This is an historic harbor entrance.....just across the river is the city of Sale where the huge stone prison stands....the reception point for new  European slaves brought in by the notorious Barbary pirates.  Today the city is fast moving into the future with big modern buildings and many sports arenas and parks.

After arriving there, I got told by a few people that I needed to go see the Chellah.  I expected to whiz through the place in an hour but after two hours there was told by family to hurry up!  It really was a wonderful oasis of green tranquility but also so full of interesting history as well.  That point of land started out as a Phoenician trading post then was taken over by the Romans who built a town called Sala Colona.  The ruins of the Roman town were then incorporated into the royal necropolis built by the Marinid dynasty in the 14th century.  The whole area was protected by a tall wall with an imposing gate to welcome pilgrims to the mausoleums, mosque and madrasa that were inside.  Today the place is recognized as a UNESCO heritage site and is run as a rather upmarket park with a restaurant and café. There were tourists and locals visiting plus it seemed to be a place that government guests were taken too. The place is open every day and there is an entrance fee of approx. $7.  Well worth it as the gardens are beautifully laid out and cared for as well as for the protection of the historic buildings.  The icing on the cake for me was to see the sanctuary for all the storks nesting at the far end of the gardens.  Just beautiful.

The entrance to the Chellah with the ticket office off to the right.

The Roman ruins

View out beyond the Marinid bathhouse roof to the
stork sanctuary. You can see several nests built
up in bare tree trunks.

Two Marinid Mausoleums

I liked how these plants were grown tall
with a great show of flowers.

You can see here how wells are dug around the trees for 
retaining irrigation water.

The running water adds to the coolness of the gardens.

Note the storks and their nests on the minaret.

Aloha