Rabat

June 14, 2026

Rabat is the capital of Morocco.  It is quite polished. Sharon and I agree it would be good to return here for a prolonged visit at some point in the future.  She feels good that we visited here after so many other Moroccan cities. 

The place has very modern buildings with nuanced architecture amidst authentic and ancient structures.  There are even archeological sites here.  It is not surprising that the main residence of King Mohammed VI is in this area.

Although the city is on the Atlantic coast and has a few well maintained ancient fortifications (several UNESCO sites).  None of these were built by the Portuguese.   This fort was built by the local dynasties two centuries before Portugal started building fortresses along the Moroccan coast. 

Here there are two cities separated by the Bou Regreg river. On the north bank is Salé, a city of one million people.  On the south bank is Rabat, which has half a million.  You can hire a row boat to carry you across the river for about 25 cents.  I saw two these two boys swimming across.

The river is used by fishing boats going out to the Atlantic for their daily catch.  The river is not able to handle any large ships. This provided a unique opportunity for the Republic of Bou Regreg in the 17th century.

This short lived republic was a literal pirate state made up of the Moriscos and others that were expelled from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition.  They sought wealth and revenge upon Christendom. 

I learned from a tour guide that the smaller pirate ships could disappear into this shallow river and not be persued by their vicitms in larger ships.  The Republic lasted only 40 years before it fell apart, weakened by infighting.  No honor amongst thieves?

Given, its salty past you might guess this place has its problems with trust and integrity.  I find quite the opposite.

This is one tourist town in Morocco where  I do not get pursued by aggressive merchants at all. 

For instance, in Marrakech taxis are required to run the meter. Though often, the meter is not running or absent.  I have found that if the meter is not running, I must negotiate a price before the ride starts.  Otherwise, after the fact, I will get surprised by an unreasonable bill, without much grounds for dispute.  In Rabat this has not happened to me.

Cycling here from Casablanca.

It took two days to go the 100km from Casablanca.  It was a bit of an adventure.  On the first day I was cycling a dirt road which became a dirt path. 

My Komoot navigation software will sometimes do this.  I do not worry because it nearly always finds a way through.  I find it entertaining because my bike has fat tires and a good suspension.  Also on a dirt road, I don’t encounter many vehicles, just an occasional flock of sheep.

This time, I came across a construction site.  ONCF, the Moroccan railroad was digging a huge trench parallel to my path.  I saw the machines in the distance and concrete barriers.  There was a minivan parked near me with the ONCF insignia.  I stopped to talk with the driver.

He was helpful in spite of the language barrier.  He was trying to tell me the best way to go to Rabat was on the motorway.  I showed him my map and explained the path I was on should work, and my bike was able to handle it.  I felt confident that this path was not blocked by the construction.  Otherwise the ONCF guy would have said so.  I was wrong.

I continued a few kilometers further to find my path intersected a trench 10m deep and 30m wide, No way across.  I was now in yhe ONCF construction site. 

Disappointed, I walked my bike back along the trench, hoping to find a temporary structure that would allow me to get across the trench. 

Eventually I saw workmen in safety helmets and vests walking toward me.  There too was a language barrier.  They understood there was a way to proceed in my original direction, that would get me to Rabat.

They had smartphones and were eager to communicate using the translator on their phone.  They explained that they were getting off work and walking home through the construction site. We walked together for a km.

They did show me a workable solution, where I did not have to go all the way back to where I came in. I was grateful.  I find that here there is a tendency for people to go out of their way to be helpful.

That day, I did not make much progress. But I did make it to a hotel.  The next day I stayed on the paved motorways and made it 70km to Rabat by the early afternoon.  My apetite for adventurous routes had been sated.

Sharon came à day later by train.  She did a far more thorough job of exploring Casablanca than I.