Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage

Rabat is two capitals in one. The Almohads began a grand city here in the 12th century — the unfinished Hassan Mosque of 1184 and mighty ramparts remain — and an Andalusian principality followed in the 17th. Then, between 1912 and the 1930s, French planners laid out one of Africa's largest and most complete modern new towns beside the old quarters, gardens included. UNESCO inscribed this shared heritage in 2012.