Rabat is the capital of Morocco and it is not a particularly interesting place. It is not bad but it is not really that good either, it just sort of exists.
In that respect, it reminds me a lot of Sacramento, the capital of California. The city probably has no business being the capital but for strategic reasons it is the capital. For the average visitor, there is nothing of note to see or do outside of the obvious sightseeing.
One of the many sites in Rabat which are nice but not really interesting.
Most locals in Morocco do not speak highly of Rabat because it lacks the history and character the rest of the country has. It is very European and that tends to turn people off. No one wants to see the European side of Morocco, they want to see the African side of the country.
The people in Rabat, however, more than makeup for the lack of intrigue the city contains. One chap in particular, Rachid, made the trip worthwhile.
Local antiques dealer Rachid shows us around his shop
Rachid loved Bob Marley, surfing and collecting antiques and upon first glance you would have thought he grew up in the West Indies and not Morocco. We met him in a juice shop after he overheard me and my friend speaking in English.
He managed to teach us a thing or two about Arabic and Drja, the local Moroccan dialect, and we helped him with his English. It was a win-win situation. He then proceeded to show us around his antiques shop which was incredible. How some of this stuff ended up at an antiques store in Morocco I will never know but he had some outlandish items for sale.
At the end of the day he gave me and my friend a pin to commemorate our newfound friendship. All the pins were old campaign pins from the states, but it is really a nice gesture, especially considering we did not buy anything.
Rabat may not have a whole to offer but Rachid will never be forgotten.
