Rabat is the current capital of Morocco and has been so since independence and the French occupation before it.

Our first sight of the city is the impressive but unfinished Hassan Mosque. Its construction began in 1195 by Yacoub el Mansour as a monument celebrating the victory over the Spanish Kings at Alarcos. However, construction was abandoned upon his death in 1199.

The unfinished minaret at 45m seen in this picture would have reached over 80m in height. If completed, it would have been the tallest of its time. The Koutoubia Mosque, that we would see later in Marakesh, was also built by Yacoub el Mansour.