Things to Do in Rabat

A Rabat landmark, the 144-foot (44-meter Hassan Tower (Tour Hassan stands tall above the river in the heart of downtown, surrounded by serried ranks of broken columns. After an earthquake in 1755, this is all that remains of an ambitious attempt by 12th-century sultan Yacoub al-Mansour to build the world’s largest mosque.

Part of Rabat’s UNESCO World Heritage–listed old city, the Kasbah of the Udayas (Casbah des Oudaïas is a 12th-century citadel at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River. Besides the fortress, city walls, and gates, the kasbah houses whitewashed streets, the Andalusian Gardens, the Oudaia Museum, and a wealth of authentic eateries.

Near the Hassan Tower (Tour Hassan, the Moroccan king’s grandfather rests alongside two of his sons in the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The building seems simple from the outside, with its restrained mosaic tiles and horseshoe arches. Inside, as you look down on the white onyx tombs from the gallery, it’s a riot of gold leaf and tilework.