Morocco: Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V
Rabat was a big eye-opener for me. Having been to Casablanca before in 2014, I had a chance to go see Rabat, which is only an hour’s drive away. I chose not to. I had very little knowledge of this capital city. Besides having a limited time in the country, I chose to concentrate on the mysterious Casablanca. Just the name alone lures the romantic in me.
So when this tour started in the capital city, I had no preconceived notion. The lazy in me did not even Google the images. I adopted the attitude of “surprise me”. In fact, I took that attitude to all the other cities that we were going to visit. I initially started to research, but each time I pick a place/spot, it’s already in our itinerary. Thus eventually, I raised my hands in submission. Let them do the dirty work, that’s why I paid for a guided tour, didn’t I?
The third of the four stops in Rabat is the complex containing both Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a UNESCO Heritage Site. The two spots are located across from each other. In between them are columns and unfinished wall. The tower is a minaret that was intended to be the tallest and the mosque to be the largest in its time. Begun in 1195, but stopped in 1199 when Yacub al-Mansour, the founder of Hassan Tower died. This is a good read about the tower.
The mausoleum, also called the Taj Mahal of Morocco, is as ornate and as lavish as Taj Mahal is. The building is covered in tiles and carvings. As part of our guided tour we were given a short time to visit this place. We were given the afternoon for our leisure and we chose to return here on our own. As a matter of fact, we had to walk from near the souk where we had our sumptuous lunch. On the way we passed by street vendors selling clothings, shoes, kitchen supplies, etc. We took our sweet time browsing at merchandize, watching craftsmen do their thing, and even boys practicing their tumbling in grassy areas near the road.
The mausoleum is the resting place of the late King Mohammed V and his two sons late King Hassan II and Prince Moulay Abdullah.
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So when this tour started in the capital city, I had no preconceived notion. The lazy in me did not even Google the images. I adopted the attitude of “surprise me”. In fact, I took that attitude to all the other cities that we were going to visit. I initially started to research, but each time I pick a place/spot, it’s already in our itinerary. Thus eventually, I raised my hands in submission. Let them do the dirty work, that’s why I paid for a guided tour, didn’t I?
The third of the four stops in Rabat is the complex containing both Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a UNESCO Heritage Site. The two spots are located across from each other. In between them are columns and unfinished wall. The tower is a minaret that was intended to be the tallest and the mosque to be the largest in its time. Begun in 1195, but stopped in 1199 when Yacub al-Mansour, the founder of Hassan Tower died. This is a good read about the tower.
The mausoleum, also called the Taj Mahal of Morocco, is as ornate and as lavish as Taj Mahal is. The building is covered in tiles and carvings. As part of our guided tour we were given a short time to visit this place. We were given the afternoon for our leisure and we chose to return here on our own. As a matter of fact, we had to walk from near the souk where we had our sumptuous lunch. On the way we passed by street vendors selling clothings, shoes, kitchen supplies, etc. We took our sweet time browsing at merchandize, watching craftsmen do their thing, and even boys practicing their tumbling in grassy areas near the road.
The mausoleum is the resting place of the late King Mohammed V and his two sons late King Hassan II and Prince Moulay Abdullah.
SKYWATCH is a weekly gathering and sky lovers and sky watchers. Join us.
I very much enjoyed your photos of these sites. I've never been to that part of the world, but would love to visit one of these days.
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots!
ReplyDeleteOh those arches look amazing! Moroccan/Moorish Architecture really interests me a lot!
ReplyDeleteSteven
Hello, what an amazing place to visit. Great collection of photos. Enjoy your day and happy Memorial Day weekend!
ReplyDeleteSooooo much history here, and you did a great job photographing it!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible place - if the photos are impressive it must be even more amazing to see it in person.
ReplyDeleteWonderful captures of amazing architecture.
ReplyDeleteFascinating. So different from anything I've ever seen (except maybe in the movieis). Wonderful trip.
ReplyDelete