The Chellah: Ruins with A Bygone but not Forgotten Past

The Chellah is s a medieval fortified Muslim necropolis located in the metro area of Rabat, Morocco. You would notice three sites within one, the wall around it, a garden and a sanctuary. The walls and gate are old and have been repaired often. They do provide a testimony the walls play in ancient [protection of cities. The Garden is full of colors and on a bright day it does shine through. From the garden you can see the river and a valley full of green. Sit anywhere and breathe Peace from the sounds of water running throughout the Garden. The sanctuary as the whole venue has a long history. Under the Phoenicians it was a trading post. The Romans later built their own city, Sala Colonia, very near the same site. Sala continued to exist as a town of the Christianized Berbers. In fact, Sala was the center of Christianity from the 2nd Century. It was mostly in ruins when the Muslim Arabs arrived in the 7th century. They build two mosques. There is a minaret standing. One can see just remains of the mosques. Indeed, the Lisbon earthquake damaged many of the remaining structures in Chellah. However there are a couple burials of Sultans and nearby there is a pool full of eels. The eels love eggs as I found out when feeding them.

It is quite beautiful site and worth your time to explore. You might be able to see a little old lady that lives there and feed the many cats around. She calls them and they do come. The most amazing site is the huge birds, storks in the area. They nest on top of the trees and also structures – Good for photos!! It cost about 10 DH to enter. And you should wear good walking shoes...walk...walk and truly look around you! Yes, you are in Africa!