The Kasbah des Oudayas is a city in the city, a little apart in Rabat, today even more than yesterday. But if there was only one thing to see in Rabat (what a foolish idea!), Then we should go to the Oudaïas! It was Built in the twelfth century by the Almohad, it was formerly called Mehdiya. It is the Kasbah which gave its name to the city. The rabat is indeed a fortified convent and it is here that monks-soldiers who settled in holy war in Spain against the Christians settled in cheap holidays to morocco marrakech.
The Rabat became "Rabat El Fath", Rabat of victory ... Rabat. The hen Hornacheros and the Moriscos, Andalous Muslims expelled from Spain, landed there in the early seventeenth century, it took the name of Kasab Andalusian and even became an independent state of adventurers (with Salt) from 1621 to 1647. C ' Was in 1833, when the Oudaya tribe, focused out of Fez by the Sultan Moulay Abderrahman, settled there and was given the name Kasbah des Oudayas (or Kasbah des Oudaïas).
The "village" of the Oudaïas as we know it today is quite recent and dates from the end of the XIXth beginning of the XXème century. The Kasbah, in fact, apart from the palace, sheltered then only a few cozy houses Soldiers, as well as simple nounal ats, makeshift habitats. It was originally a military work and was essentially built to constitute an impregnable fortress. It is also the paradox of the Oudayas, this fortified building, bombed regularly by the European fleets especially in the time of the corsairs of Salé the new, is now the most peaceful place of Rabat.
however, it is for the "breathtaking" quality of the Kasbah, Rabat had the privilege of becoming an imperial capital by the grace of Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah (1757-1790), who tired of Fez populations revolts And Marrakech made it its ultimate refuge. It was to preserve its fortified place that the medina and Kasbah of the Oudayas were never reunited and retained their own characteristics.
As soon as one penetrates the enclosure of the Oudaïas by the imposing and magnificent door Bab-Al-Oudaïas or Bab El Kebir, one immediately notices the Andalusian influence. Everything here is reminiscent of Spain, the walls uniformly covered with lime, the ubiquitous blue color, the cobbled alleys, massive doors with colorful moldings, wrought iron...
The summer, the narrow streets are delightfully fresh and clean. The inhabitants of the Oudayas managed to preserve this site. The houses are well maintained and beautifully flowered. The municipality of Rabat understood all the advantages it could derive from the tourism of this exceptional site and ensured that this area is preserved from the disparate constructions which disfigure the site, not without difficulties, evidenced by the recent disputes with some unscrupulous residents with respect for the past.
The Jamaa al-Atiq mosque was erected in 1150 during the reign of Abdelmoumen. It is the oldest in Rabat but has undergone several changes. Unlike the Medina a few hundred meters below, everything is felted.
The inhabitants slip discreetly into the shadows of the alleys. No sooner do we hear the call of the muezzin from the minaret of the Jamaa-Al-Atiq mosque, the oldest religious edifice in Rabat. Les Oudayas have become a haven for more and more artists to invest the places, seduced by the beauty of the site as much as by its quiet soothing. Gate of the mosque Jama - al-Atiq. The Alawite Sultan Sidi Mohamed ben Abdellah had this mosque rebuilt by an English renegade called Mohamed al-Inglizi.
If you are in Rabat, do not forget the Oudayas IN Morocco holidays and passing by the Bazzo street to go to the unmistakable café Maure, from where you will have a superb view on Salé and the Bouregreg, stop for a moment. To taste the silence of the place, and you can then continue your walk and take these little blue streets where nice meetings await you.
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