Kasbah of the Udayas

     The Kasbah of the Udayas owes its name to an Arab tribe that settled in southern Morocco in the AH 12th / AD 18th century from which the 'Alawid Sultan Mulay Isma'il (r. AH 1083–1140 / AD 1672–1727) recruited some of his army, parts of which were garrisoned in Rabat to defend it from neighbouring tribes.

The first ribat constructed at this site is mentioned in AH 366 / AD 977 by the geographer Ibn Hawqal, who affirmed that it could accommodate up to 100,000 combatants.

In AH 534 / AD 1140, the Almoravids constructed a kasbah to defend themselves against the Almohad threat. The Almohads besieged and destroyed the kasbah, before reconstructing it in AH 544 / AD 1150 once they had come to power, adding a palace and a mosque. They named it al-Mahdiyya, in homage to their spiritual guide al-Mahdi Ibn Tumart.

After the death of Ya'qub al-Mansur (AH 595 / AD 1199) and the abandonment of the project for a new capital at Ribat al-Fath, the kasbah was deserted.
It was not until the AH 11th / AD 17th century that it was revitalised with the arrival of thousands of Moriscos expelled from Spain, who went on to establish a sort of independent republic that lasted for half a century and acquired great renown as a pirate stronghold.
The Kasbah of the Udayas is currently made up of an upper part founded by the Almohads, and a lower part founded by the 'Alawids.

The Almohad wall that surrounds the kasbah, 2.50 m wide and 8–10 m tall, is built with ashlars and bordered by a sloping esplanade where some old cannon still stand.

Built by Ya'qub al-Mansur, the monumental gateway stands on a knoll and dominates the town. Built of red ochre freestone, it is made up of an arch flanked by two towers and bears repeated sculptural decoration on the inner façade. The spandrels of the arch are framed with a kufic inscription. Snake motifs at the springing point of the festooned arches constitute an unusual addition in Moroccan decoration.

 This gateway leads to a series of three square rooms separated by steps: the first is covered with a domed vault resting on squinches, the second with a dome on pendentives and the third with a barrel vault. One large and one small door open onto the inside of the fortress. A flight of stairs at the back leads to the terrace.

The kasbah contains the oldest mosque in Rabat, Jami' al-'Atiq (AH 544 / AD 1150) whose minaret was restored by Ahmad al-Inglizi, a converted Englishman.
The princely pavilion constructed by Mulay Isma'il is currently home to the Museum of Traditional Arts.

At the beginning of the AH 12th / end of the AD 17th century, the kasbah was endowed with a semaphore signal, warehouses and a defensive burj (the Tower of the Privateers) whose cannons were aimed at the river and the town of Salé.

Posted in: Morocco Attractions