Day 2 – Saturday, Day 1 – The Kasbah of Udayas is located in Rabat, Morocco. Rabat is located at the mouth of the Bou River and opposite Sale’.

The term kasbah means, “the citadel of a north African city, typically in the old part of the city.”

Citadel- A fortress, typically on high ground, protecting or dominating a city.

The kasbah was built in the 12 century during the reign of the Almohad Caliphate (1121-1269). The al Mohads changed Rabat to a large extent. They destroyed the Kasbah of the Udayas and began to build their own in AH544/AD110.

They added a mosque and a palace and then called the area, al-Mahdiyya, after their ancestors al-Mahdi Ibn Tumart.

After the death of Yaqub al-Mansour in AH595/AD1199 the kasbah was deserted.

Imagine walking through the ancient walled city in the shadows of the tall houses made of smooth orange and brown mud and seeing the old wooden shutters close above you as you walk under them. You are an interloper and soon will be forgotten. You are being watched and wondered about by the youngsters as you go on your way, trying not to get lost in this labyrinth of passageways.

Read a similar scene in my book, “Sailing Away,” as Sam walks these same pathways as I did and learns about the country of Morocco and the city of Rabat.