The medina of Rabat

Not that well known, the medina of Rabat is nevertheless an ideal place to stroll and to shop. Although not as popular as the medinas of Fes and Marrakech, it still offers both tourists and natives streets filled with charm.
Particularly lively, souika Street is lined with cafes and small! Food shops, covered with woven reeds, Es Sebat market is well known for slip¬pers and fine leather goods. The shaded cover only allows a bit of sunshine to filter through, creating a somewhat fantastic atmosphere, perpendicular to it is the Street of the Consuls, so named because up until 1912 it was where the representatives of foreign governments resided. Carpets from Rabat, tapestries from Sale, hammered and perforated copper, embossed leather and silk embroideries dazzle the eye and tempt passersby. Every Monday and Thursday, carpets are auctioned. A cul de sac opens on to this street. it is ca lied the Dead-end of the French Consulate in memory of the poet Andre Chenier who lived at number 62. He represented the interests of the French monarch in Morocco at the end of the 18th century. Behind the Street of the Consuls is hidden an amazing district that deserves a detour. Far from the liveliness of the market, narrow streets are sheltered by high white walls that are enhanced by vivid blue win¬dow shutters that along with wooden doors sculpted by Muslims who had come back from Spain plunge the passerby back into the 17th century .

The medina of Rabat has seduced more than one visitor as seen by c. Mauclair’s story, « The Colors of Morocco, » extracted from « Rabat-Sale in the 1925’s.In Sidi Fatah Street, I rested from the general uproar in the street and took shelter under the transverse vault of a mosque. The vault is a marvellous ceiling in sculpted and illuminated wood over a façade that is chiselled, polychromatic, and created with strange and exquisite taste (…) I climbed up to Andre Cheniers house, our first envoy in Rabat. There I searched for a bit of cool shade in the charming Kisaria laid out around a per¬fumed patio that contained a tea service in copper or silver, carpets and ceremonial arms. The place is discreet and pleasant.

Seated under the arch, I meditated there on the violent crowd outside that did not resemble anything of ours. It was a delirium of colors where every second the light gave off magical highlights. I felt myself free as well as lost in that crowd, whose rhythm escapes like it does in language and from the soul. It was so beautiful. »

To visit the souks

Leaving Hassan Il Boulevard, take Sidi Fatah Street, and then turn right on to Souika Street. Three hundred meters on, you come upon Es Sebat market, known for its shoes, jewelers and its fine leather goods. Fifty meters further on, turn left to follow the Street of the Consuls on which local craftsmen hawk their wares, carpets, copper products, and leather. Between numbers 30 and 32, take the side street into the old 17th century neighborhood.