Rabat << rah BAHT >> (pop. 577,827) is the capital of Morocco. Rabat is in the northern part of the country. It is located on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Bou Regreg, a shallow river. The Bou Regreg separates Rabat from the city of Salé.
Rabat is divided into old and new sections. The old section, called the medina, is in the northern part of the city. It has small, white, flat-roofed houses and several mosques (Muslim houses of worship). The new section spreads out around the medina. It has broad streets and modern European-style buildings. The royal palace is located in this part of Rabat. The two sections of the city are connected by Avenue Mohammed V, the main business street. Hassan Tower, the minaret (prayer tower) of an incomplete mosque, stands on a bluff overlooking the Bou Regreg. Nearby is the tomb of Mohammed V, the first ruler of independent Morocco.
Rabat is chiefly a government and administrative center. It has textile and cork-processing industries. It also produces asbestos products, bricks, cement, and flour. Craftworkers in the city make baskets, carpets, leather goods, tapestries, and other handicrafts.
Mohammed V University was founded in Rabat in 1957. Rabat’s Archaeological Museum exhibits objects from prehistoric and Roman times.
The Romans occupied the site of present-day Rabat in the first century after Christ. Ruins of Roman buildings stand in southeastern Rabat. The Berber leader Abd al-Mu’min and his grandson Abu Yusuf Ya`qub al-Mansur established the present city in the 1100’s. In 1912, France established a protectorate over most of Morocco. The French made Rabat their headquarters. When the protectorate ended in 1956, Rabat became the capital of the independent nation of Morocco.
