My Time in Morocco

The Tourist Thing in Rabat

Today, I had the day off so I decided to do the tourist thing and visit Rabats most historical site; Hassan Tower. The Tower was commissioned to be built in 1195 but construction stopped in 1199 and it was never completed. It’s a beautiful place, on top of a hill overlooking the water but is also very unfinished. In the courtyard facing the Tower, there are half-finished pillars everywhere of varying heights (which you can actually climb on!) and the yard is surrounded by a half-finished broken wall. The courtyard is guarded by men on horses wearing very traditional garbs. There were many tourists like me but there were just as many locals who had come out on their day off to marvel at the structures greatness. What I find fascinating is that I could walk right up and touch the oldest part of the wall and I could climb on the half-built pillars that are older than the “discovery” of my country. In Canada, a structure like this would be behind fences and there would be signs everywhere like in a museum. But here in Morocco, old things are not as much of a rarity. While yes, this is a historic landmark and it is guarded and restricted, the red sandstone walls that surround the area are everywhere in Rabat. Large walls which would have protected the original city centuries ago still stand but now roads run right by them and office buildings are built beside them. The city has worked hard to preserve the past and also to mix it within this modern city. I marvel at the ancient structures while many locals see them as just being part of the city, something that was always there.