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Rabat

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   Mausoleum of Mohammed V through mosque ruins
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   Mausoleum of Mohammed V through mosque ruins
   NASA image of Rabat
   Enlarge
   NASA image of Rabat

   Rabat (Arabic الرباط, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ), population
   1.2 million ( 2005 estimate), is the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco.
   It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region.

   The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou
   Regreg. On the facing shore of the river lies Salé, Rabat's bedroom
   community. Together the two cities account for a population of 1.3
   million. Rabat is located at 34°1'60" North, 6°49'60" West (34.0333,
   -6.8333). Unfortunately, silting problems have diminished the city's
   role as a port; however, Rabat and Salé still maintain relatively
   important textile, food processing and construction industries; some
   are from sweatshop labor by major multinational corporations (see
   Salé).

   In addition, tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in
   Morocco serve to make Rabat the second most important city in the
   country after the larger and more economically significant Casablanca.

History

   Rabat's history began with a settlement, known as Chellah on the banks
   of the Oued Bou Regreg in the third century BC. In 40 AD, Romans took
   over Chellah and converted it to the Roman settlement of Sala Colonia.
   Rome held the colony until 250 AD when they abandoned it to Berber
   rulers. The Berbers played an important role in Muslim Spain. In 1146,
   the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min turned Rabat's ribat into a full scale
   fortress to use as a launching point for attacks on Spain. In 1170, due
   to its military importance, Rabat acquired the title Ribatu l-Fath,
   meaning "stronghold of victory," from which it gets its current name.
   The Hassan Tower
   Enlarge
   The Hassan Tower

   Yaqub al-Mansur (known as Moulay Yacoub in Morocco), another Almohad
   Caliph, moved the capital of his empire to Rabat. He built Rabat's city
   walls and began construction on what would have been the world's
   largest mosque. However, Yaqub died and construction stopped. The ruins
   of the unfinished mosque, including the Hassan Tower, still stand
   today.

   Yaqub's death initiated a period of decline. The Almohad empire lost
   control of its possessions in Spain and much of its African territory,
   eventually leading to its total collapse. In the 13th century, much of
   Rabat's economic power shifted to Fez. In 1515 a Moorish explorer, El
   Wassan, reported that Rabat had declined so much that only 100
   inhabited houses remained. An influx of Moriscos, who had been expelled
   from Spain, in the early 17th century helped boost Rabat's growth.

   Rabat and neighboring Salé united to form the Republic of Bou Regreg in
   1627. The republic was run by Barbary pirates who used the two cities
   as base ports for launching attacks on shipping. The pirates did not
   have to contend with any central authority until the Alaouite Dynasty
   united Morocco in 1666. They attempted to establish control over the
   pirates, but failed. European and Muslims authorities continued to
   attempt to control the pirates over many years, but the Republic of Bou
   Regreg did not collapse until 1818. Even after the republic's collapse,
   pirates continued to use the port of Rabat, which led to the shelling
   of the city by Austria in 1829 after an Austrian ship had been lost to
   a pirate attack.

   The French invaded Morocco in 1912 and established a protectorate. The
   French administrator of Morocco, General Hubert Lyautey, decided to
   relocate the country's capital from Fez to Rabat. Among other factors,
   rebellious Berbers (native Moroccans) had made Fez an unstable place.
   Sultan Moulay Youssef followed the decision of the French and moved his
   residence to Rabat. In 1913, Gen. Lyautey hired Henri Prost who
   designed the Ville Nouvelle (Rabat's modern quarter) as an
   administrative sector. When Morocco achieved independence in 1956,
   Mohammed V, the then King of Morocco, chose to have the capital remain
   at Rabat.

Major sites

     * Mausoleum of Mohammed V
     * Mohammed V University is located in the city.
     * Hassan Tower
     * Chellah necropolis

   Kasbah Oudayas

Natives from Rabat

     * Younes El Aynaoui (born September 12, 1971), professional tennis
       player
     * Dominique de Villepin(born 14 November 1953), Current Prime
       Minister of France

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