Fodor's Expert Review Battlements and Fortresses of Salé

A heavily fortified town for centuries, Salé still has many traces of its eventful history preserved within the old medina walls. Many landmarks in the area have been named as national heritage sites or monuments. Borj Bab Sebta is an 11th-century, square-shape fortress situated at the Sebta gate into the old medina. Borj Adoumoue, also called the Old Sqala, is an 18th-century bastion, where cannons gaze over the waters to this day. Nearby is Borj Roukni, also called Borj Kbira, or the large fortress, a semicircular, 19th-century edifice built to counter attacks by the French. There’s also a fantastic kasbah (although in need of preservation) known as the Gnawa Kasbah, built by Moulay Ismail in the 1700s. This lies near the beach 3km north of the medina and is now home to the National Circus School Shems'y.