Rabat's early history is based around this kasbah: built strategically on high ground over the mouth of the Bou Regreg River and the Atlantic, it was originally constructed for defensive purposes. Still inhabited, it once comprised the whole of the city, including the castle of Yaqoub al Mansour.
Walk up the steps to the huge, imposing ornamental gate, built, like Bab Rouah, by the Almohads. The gate's interior is now used for art exhibits. Enter the kasbah and turn right into Rue Jama (Mosque Street). The mosque, which dates from Almohad times (it was built in the mid-12th century), is on the left; it was supposedly reconstructed in the late 18th century by an English Muslim—Ahmed el Inglizi. Continue to the end of the road past a house called Dar Baraka, and you'll emerge onto a large platform overlooking the Bou Regreg estuary. Here there is the magnificent view across the river to the old quarter of Salé, and you can walk down to the water's edge. Go back along Rue Jama until you come to Rue Bazo on the left; this winds down the kasbah and past picturesque houses.
Turn left, walk to the bottom of the street, and proceed down to the banks of the Bou Regreg to see the beautiful Andalusian Gardens, a walled retreat filled with citrus trees, lofty palms and bright bougainvillea, where you can stop for mint tea-break at Café Maure. The garden was laid out by the French in the early 20th century, but its enclosure dates from the beginning of the present Alaouite dynasty in the 17th century. At the top of the garden is the National Museum of Jewelry & Adornment, with a collection of glittering jewelry, elaborate costumes, and a 12th-century Koran.
