About Graham Cornwell is a writer and historian who specializes in the history of modern Morocco. He has a PhD in History from Georgetown University, and is currently working on a book about the history of Moroccan mint tea.
The most scenic museum in Morocco is this seaside gem in Rabat
Apr 29
3 min read
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Morocco has spent the past decade revamping its national museum network. They've built new ones and renovated old ones, and they've converted historic buildings into new museums. On the whole, they've done a terrific job with lots of beautiful, scenic locations, but one really stands out because of its gorgeous setting and unique building: the National Photography Museum (le Musée National de la Photographie) right on the seaside in Rabat.
I've written about this before in the Washington Post, but the history of the building itself is so interesting that it deserves its own space. The museum is housed in Fort Rottembourg, which was built in the 1880s and 1890s to defend Morocco's Atlantic coast. It is named after Walter Rottembourg, the German engineer who designed it. It was the first reinforced concrete building in Morocco.
At that moment in Moroccan history, the sultan at the time, Hassan I, was acutely aware of the threat of European invasion and occupation. Neighboring Algeria had been occupied by the French since 1830, and the French had just taken over Tunisia in 1881, at the same time Britain moved to take Egypt. Of all the sultans in the second half of the 19th century, Hassan I seemed to take the threat the most seriously and invested in military reforms, coastal defenses, and even new manufacturing facilities. The gap in strength and capacity between Europe and Morocco was huge, though. It would've been difficult to overcome in any circumstances, but Hassan died and left his 13 year-old son, Abdelaziz, as his successor. The political turmoil that followed further slowed reforms and gave Europeans (especially the French) more opportunities to influence Moroccan politics.
The fort was meant to protect Rabat from coastal invasions. It was armed with two dozen cannons from Hamburg, a gift from Germany, which was vying with the French for preeminence in Morocco at the time. Two of these cannons are still located at the fort. The defenses were never actually used. The fort eventually became known as Fort Hervé during French colonial rule (1912-1956) and then Borj al-Kabir after.
Today, the fort sits right on Rabat's Corniche road, which runs parallel to the coast all the way to the city's kasbah and medina. Most of the city's long coastline is rocky, and here the fort sits on high rocks above the water. It's a popular spot for an evening stroll and for intrepid fishermen casting into the big surf. I can't say I've ever seen them catch anything, but I'm sure they do.
A few years ago, we lived nearby in the L'Ocean neighborhood. It was a friendly, middle class neighborhood at the time. The fort was still abandoned, but renovations were underway. Today, there are more reasons to visit this part of the city. There are a couple terrific boutique stores nearby: Malimalo and Le 17 Ocean. The biggest development has been the opening of the new Four Seasons Kasr al-Bahr ("castle of the sea") hotel just up the road from the fort. The neighborhood's two main streets, Avenue de la Resistance and Avenue Abdelkrim el Khattabi, have great cafes.
The museum itself is really fun to visit. The collection is small, but it's all housed inside the moody, subterranean rooms of the fort, which gives the experience a really unique feel. At the moment, there's a show by Reza Deghati, a French-Iranian photographer, and the museum regularly hosts special events and themed nights. You'll want to save time for the external ramparts too. The reinforced concrete creates a great contrast with blue sky and sea, and the fort's geometric design makes it really fun to walk around and explore. Young kids in particular will enjoy it, although be careful around the ledges.
