Day 3 - Salé (by Rabat)      5/13/22

Morocco

Frank's Trip

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Salé - across the Bou Regreg River from Rabat...

In this world of uncertainty where anything can happen (and usually does) everywhere from a personal level to a global level... what if there were something that could offer some assurance wherever and when ever... There is! McDonald's! Because of digestion system problems, I make every effort to keep my meals along toward basic foods when I'm traveling. Where ever one may wander, it seems, there is a McDonald's there to provide a touch of home and some assurance of what you'll get. I like that. Pizza Hut, too... though not quite as widespread as McD's.

Parts of the wall surrounding the Old Medina of Salé

LEFT & RIGHT are from outside the wall.

BELOW from inside the wall

The Old Medina of Salé (really all of the medinas and kasbahs) is a maze of narrow byways, though there are areas where cars can go. Often bicycles and motorbikes ride through them, as well where they are wide enough.

Without my smart phone and Google Maps, I'd still be lost in one of the medinas or kasbahs starving to death as I died of thirst because I couldn't find my way out... Even with Google it can be a bit difficult and time consuming to get out, but at least you can get out.

Medina of Salé

is the medina quarter and the oldest walled part in the city of Salé in Morocco. It is classified as a national cultural heritage since October 1914, and is considered as one of the oldest medinas of Morocco.

Muslim cemetery Sidi Benachir

Outside the wall, between the wall and the river and sea is this cemetery. It is beyond vast... way beyond. The photos are just a peek at a tiny part of it.

Great Mosque of Salé

The third largest Mosque in Morocco it was originally constructed around 1028. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout history, the ornate structure is one of the most popular monuments in the city. Although non-Muslims are not permitted inside of the mosque, visitors, particularly history buffs, will find the visit worthwhile.

The mosque is not a stand alone building but is incorporated into the medina and the buildings of it. There are several entrances to the mosque.

Salé was once the home of a prominent band of pirates, the Salé Rovers, and among these miscreants was the famed Dutch pirate Jan Janzsoon.

The pirates formed a republic in the city and were known to sell prisoners as slaves throughout northern Africa. Today, travelers can visit the restored prison and experience the last remnants of the pirates’ violent legacy.

For many visitors, though, the Salé Rovers may best be recognized as the pirates who took a fictional Robinson Crusoe captive in the famous novel by Daniel Defoe.

The "Fortress of Tears" adjoins the prison where captives were held by the pirates for ransom or sale as slaves.

The pirate prison is at the end of a rampart overlooking the sea. This Bastion des Larmes is a maze of subterranean chambers and deteriorating turrets. Constructed of stone and mud plaster, seems to be withering away, a victim of time and weather.