A palimpsest of civilizations on the banks of the Bou Regreg. The Romans built Sala Colonia here in the 1st century CE — its decumanus maximus and forum foundations are still visible. Thirteen centuries later, the Marinid sultan Abu al-Hassan built an elaborate necropolis over the Roman ruins, adding a mosque, a medersa, a royal mausoleum, and ornamental gardens enclosed within crenellated walls. Today storks nest in the minaret and cats patrol the gardens. The site captures Morocco's layered history in a single walk.
Sources
- UNESCO Rabat nomination file (2012)
- Basset H. & Lévi-Provençal E. (1923) Chella, une nécropole mérinide