This weekend I went exploring in Rabat with a friend. Although I live quite close by, I haven’t been there for seven years, the last time being for the Picasso exhibition at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern Art..
This time too, the main objective was an exhibition in this museum, about which I’ll tell you more soon. But once the visit was over, we decided to leave exploring the Chellah, which had just reopened, until later and, with a quick tram ride, discover Salé, which I didn’t know at all.
We walked around the medina at random, descending from the station before finally arriving at Bab Bou Haja. And it was a real pleasure!
A medina that’s not touristy at all
Some people complain about it, but Salé has been spared mass tourism, no doubt dwarfed by its neighbour, Rabat. What’s more, before the Hassan II bridge was opened and the tramway put in place in 2011, the city was a bit difficult to get to simply to spend a few hours there.
The result? An atypical medina in its layout (with a ‘central’ market that isn’t very central, in fact), in its juice, but a clean and pleasant ‘juice’. And above all, the locals who consider the rare tourists to be mere visitors, who need not be harassed. The streets are perfectly clean, and the stalls in the shops show the everyday products that people use.
For the first time in years, I was able to stroll through the narrow streets without being hailed every five metres. Better still, I was able to ask for the address of a small restaurant where I could simply eat and get the information, without being ‘offered’ to accompany me by being asked for ten dirhams.
It was a real pleasure, which meant that I hardly took any photos, out of respect for the people who respected me. Another time, certainly, when I have more time…
The privateers’ medina
The medina is white and yellow, with lots of woodwork. What elsewhere are often simple reed canisses thrown over the streets to shade them are here dark wooden arches.
Salé is known for its privateers, who plagued the Mediterranean from the 17th to the 19th century, and for its short-lived “Republic”, which lasted for around fifty years in the 17th century.
But before that, it was one of the most important ports of the Merinid dynasty. The city served as an arsenal and base for ships bound for war in al-Andalus. This can be seen from its enormous walls, pierced by very large gates which, at the time, were used to launch ships into the sea once they had been built. The most impressive of these is Bab Lamrissa.
Unfortunately, the harbour gradually silted up (leading to the foundation of Rabat, on the other side of the Bouregreg, whose Kasbah des Oudayas served as the capital of the Republic of Salé).
The medina of Salé bears witness to the city’s former importance and wealth. In particular, its great Almohad mosque, the third largest in Morocco and the oldest after the Quaraouiyine in Fez and the Marinid medersa.
How do I get to the medina in Salé?
If you’re already in Rabat, simply take the tram to Bab Lamrissa station.
If you’re coming from Casablanca, you can of course take your own car, but frankly, given the quality of public transport, I’d advise you to let yourself be transported!
Trains to the medina of Salé from Casablanca:
to Salé, there is a train that leaves every hour (at h:10) from Casa-Port station, the journey takes 1h16 minutes and costs 44 dirhams in second class, 75 dirhams in first class, without reservation. There are also trains departing from Casa Voyageurs station, at h:30, direct to Salé station. The journey takes just 1 hour 06 minutes, with reservation.
to Rabat-Ville station, with the same trains. The journey takes a few minutes less and costs 40 dirhams in second class and 70 dirhams in first class. The tram station is directly outside the station, and the journey costs 6 dirhams. It’s longer if you only want to see Salé.
Bus routes
There is a Casablanca-Salé bus that leaves twice a day, at 10.45am and 9pm. It only costs 30 dirhams, but takes about two hours. Bus services between Casablanca and Rabat are, of course, much more frequent.
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