Kasbah of Mohammedia

The kasbah of Mohammedia is a modest walled enclosure on the slope between the port and the old town, dating from the late 18th century. Inside the walls are narrow lanes, a small mosque, and a handful of houses that still feel like a village inside the city. The Bab el-Mers gate is the most photogenic part, with its horseshoe arch and the original sea-facing battlements.

It is much smaller than the famous kasbahs of Rabat or Essaouira and takes perhaps 30 minutes to walk through. The best approach is on foot from the port; the area can feel quiet outside market hours but is perfectly safe. Bring small notes for the men who watch over the gates and may unlock the mosque viewing point for a tip.

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A story
The kasbah was built by Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdellah in 1773 to protect the small port of Fedala from European raids. He named the new fortress town al-Mahdouma, but locals went on calling it Fedala for nearly two centuries — only after independence in 1956 was it officially renamed Mohammedia in his honour.

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