Andalusian wall of Rabat, Defensive wall in Medina district, Rabat, Morocco.
The Andalusian wall is a defensive fortification in the Medina district of Rabat that stretches approximately 1.4 kilometers with 26 towers positioned along its length. The wall rises between 5 and 5.5 meters high and maintains an average thickness of about 1.7 meters throughout.
Built in the early 17th century, this fortification marked the arrival and settlement of Morisco refugees in the southern area of what had been planned as an Almohad city. The wall emerged from the practical need to protect this new population.
The three original gates - Bab et-T'ben, Bab el-Bouiba, and Bab Chellah - shaped how people moved through the Medina and reflect the way the community organized itself around protected entry points. These openings remain visible reminders of daily life behind the fortification.
The top of the wall is walkable, providing pathways for visitors along most of its length with views over the surrounding Medina. Arrow slits and defensive openings are visible from above, giving a sense of how the fortification functioned.
The eastern section ends at the Sidi-Makhlouf bastion, a round fortification that blends arrow slits with cannon embrasures on the same structure. This design reveals how defenders adapted to both traditional and newer firearm technology simultaneously.
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