MH Photos

Rabat is the capital of Morocco and the home of the king. It's markedly different to the rest of Morocco. There's none of the hassle of cities like Tangiers or Marrakesh. It seems that you don't muck around when you're in the kings city. Red and black pentagram flags fly everywhere and there is a strong police presence. There were almost no beggars, I didn't get offered drugs by shifty characters and the streets were very clean.

My hotel room overlooked a mosque and it was interesting to watch the men hurrying to the 3am prayers. I bought a nice Italian shirt in Rabat but was stupid enough to leave it hanging in the wardrobe. There was a TV in the room but the only English channel was CNN. I was completely wrapped in the story about the man confessing to the murder of Jon Benet Ramsey. I can't see how anyone took him seriously.

I've already mentioned Chellah but Rabat had a few other nice sites. The Mausoleum of Mohammed V also has the tomb of Hassan II inside. There is also the Hassan Tower which is a an incomplete mosque and minaret. It was meant to be 86m high but after the death of Yacoub al-Mansour in 1199 work stopped when the tower was only half completed. It was built with a ramp to the top instead of stairs so that the muezzin could ride a horse to the top.