The Oudayas Kasbah by Jamila

History

The Kasbah des Oudayas seems to be a city within a city, which is build on the cliff overlooking the estuary and the Atlantic Ocean and can be seen from some distance.

Constructed during the 12th century by the Almohades, it originally was called “Mehdiya”. In fact, it’s a former fortified convent, where the religious soldiers departed for the Holy War against the Christians in Spain and named at that time “Ribat El Fath” or Fort of Victory, which explains us the true origin of the name "Rabat".

With the arrival of the Andalusians, chased out of Spain at the beginning of the 17th century this site was called “Kasbah Andaluse”, until an Arabic tribe, called the Oudayas, chased away from Fez, established themselves in 1833, naming it eventually the “Kasbah des Oudayas”, the name kept until today.

Today’s Oudayas

Compared to this long history, the village of the Oudayas, inside the Kasbah, as we know it today, is more recent and dates back to the end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century.

In fact, everything reminds you of Spain: the walls uniformly covered with chalk, the beautiful blue paint on its houses, the paved streets and massive doors in wrought iron. You will be astonished to notice how clean the streets are and how nicely houses are maintained by its inhabitants, in this historical place.

Attractions

Once you enter the Oudayas, through the magnificent gate of “Bab-Al-Oudayas”, built in 1195, one can immediately recognize the Andalusian influence. There is only one main street, the famous Rue
Jamaa, so you will not get easily lost and looking back to history, the houses were built by the Muslim refugees arriving from Spain.

Contrary to the Medina, in the Kasbah everything seems to be more calm
and quite. You might just hear the muezzin calling from the minaret of the mosque Jamaa-Al-Atiq, which is one of the oldest religious buildings in Rabat, built in the 12th century and restored in the 18th century. Unfortunately, closed to non-Muslims.

It is also interesting to observe that the Oudayas has increasingly become a real harbour for many artists because of its spectacular beauty and quietness.Therefore, when coming to Rabat do not forget visiting the Kasbah des Oudayas, where you can have a magnificent view over the city of Sale’ and the Bouregreg river, while drinking a traditional mint tea and tasting delicious, Moroccan biscuits at the Café’ Maure.