Bouregreg Development

Rabat is situated on the south side of the Bouregreg River where it enters the Atlantic Ocean. Its twin city, and more conservative city, Sale is opposite on the northern bank of the river. Sale was once home to the Sale Rovers, a feared group of pirates who roamed the seas as far north as Iceland from the 16th to 19th centuries. Their booty included gold and people, who often then got sold into slavery.

Not long after I arrived in January 2006, the craftsman huts and shops and the grain market that bordered the river bank on the Rabat side were knocked down for redevelopment of the Bouregreg. With money from the Middle East, it is being turned into an area of glitzy shops, expensive hotels, fancy restaurants and even a marina for the expected expensive boats. It is certainly not being developed for the every day Moroccans. Here is how the marina looked yesterday, with the white buildings of Sale in the background.

On the Rabat side a promenade already follows the river edge. Paved footpaths bordered by tall palms link Tour Hassan to the Kasbah and Oudaya. It certainly is a pleasant area for pedestrians to walk along during the day or evening.

Hopefully the small, colourful wooden boats that once took people back and forth across the river will be able to continue to ply their trade. At present the drop-off point on the Sale side is far from buildings and the town itself because of all the earth works and reclaimed land.

It will be interesting to see what the end result is.