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Exterior of the Royal Palace in Rabat

Rabat is the capital and second largest city in Morocco. It’s located on the Atlantic Ocean and sits at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River. The Royal Palace is a large building that is set back behind lawns and chained from the public (when we were there). The exterior has a large, impressive Bab ar-Rouah (Gate of the Winds) in front of which ceremonial guards are dressed in red and white uniforms.

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The flag of Morocco flies above the Royal Palace. The palace, said to be magnificent inside, and is a good illustration of Islamic architecture. The King and his family live within the palace. The buildings also house the governmental offices of the cabinet, prime minister and other officials. It is surrounded by a wall with access through three gates. The gardens that encircle the square in front of the complex are beautiful and very well cared for. It was an impressive site.

Or trip leader, Aziz, was born and raised in Morocco. He has had an excellent college education, speaks many languages (I believe six) and has a family with a wife and two children. They live in Fes, Morocco. We spent time learning about the Royal Palace from him as we stood outside in the plaza in front of the Palace. He is a warm, fun and very interesting man who taught us a great deal during our two weeks with him in Morocco.

Our trip leader Aziz

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One of many large doors insde the Hassan II Mosque Casablanca

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The Mosque has a series of these doors across the back wall of the main room. I liked how they appeared in silhouette from the interior.

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS lens, 1/2000 sec at f/8, ISO 1600 captured on a Lexar 400x SDXC UHS-1 memory card

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Hammam (baths) inside the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

The “Hammam” is a traditional public bath which has been separated into different sections for men and women. It dates back to the Roman and Arab cultures around 600AD. As hygiene became an important tenet of the Muslim religion, the hammam increased in importance. It’s also a place for social gathering, pampering, relaxation and rituals. Moroccans see the bath as an opportunity to meet with neighbors and friends. The typical hammam consist of three, interconnected rooms: a hot (steam) room, a warm room and a cool room. Usually the first room is the warm room when the body adapts to the heat.

Then one goes into the bath and gets washed to remove the dirt from the skin and hair. Next is the hot room which allows the pores to open and let the body sweat. This will bring the dirt out from the deep areas of skin. Then the bather goes back into the warm room for another wash, and this time with Moroccan black soap made with olive oil. The skin is exfoliated with a “loofa-like” glove making the skin softer.

The hammam has become a very important part of the lives of Muslim women. It gives them an opportunity to spend time with other women to talk, share experiences and visit. They’ve also found it a good opportunity to inspect prospective brides for their sons.

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS lens, 1/13 sec at f/11, -2 EV, ISO 16,000 captured on a Lexar 400x SDXC UHS-1 memory card