Vacation in Morocco
There is no other place in Northern Africa for guests going on a Morocco travel tour to view the structures built in the different periods of the Moroccan history erected by the former dynasties that have ruled over the whole region except in the ancient city of Chella where Roman, Almohad, and Marinid ruins lay around side by side proving that all mankind has the same origins.
No tourist who reserves a package to Morocco can ever pass by the Moroccan capital, Rabat, without visiting Chella, the most important and remarkable historical site in the city.
Chella, the same as today with hundreds of tourists who spent their vacations in Morocco visiting the site, has attracted many different peoples in various eras because of its distinctive geographical location and its beautiful environmental setting.
The Necropolis and ancient site of Chella is situated to the Southeast of Rabat, about 3 kilometers away from the center of the city, only about a kilometer to the West of the Bou Regreg River.
Chella is situated at the end of the Bou Regreg River which pours in the Mediterranean Sea in the South of Africa.
A piece of pottery, dating back to the 7th century BC, was discovered in Chella indicating that this area has been inhabited since ancient times.
However, the first settlement in Chella, as mentioned by many historians, was chosen by the Phoenicians as their trading center and their capital afterwards because of its geographical location being the closet point between the Bou Regreg River and the Mediterranean Sea to the North.
After many decades, exactly in the 13th century AD, the kings of the Marinid have chosen Chella to become their royal burial site.
This necropolis was used as the royal necropolis of the Marinid Sultans starting 1248 AD over the remains of an ancient Roman city with the name Sala Colonia that served as an important port and trading center for the Romans and was established in the year 40 BC.
A statue of the wife of one of the Roman emperors, Juba II of Numidia (52/50 BC – AD 23), is still standing in the middle of the Roman ruins in Chella as an evidence of how important Chella was during the rule of the Romans. However, only the lower part of the statue is still present in Chella, while the upper part has been transferred to the Rabat National Museum.
Sala Colonia in turn was built over the ruins of the older city with the name Chella that was constructed by the Phoenician in the 3rd century BC.
The Romans have left Chella Colonia around the 2nd century AD giving the chance for many Berber tribes to residence in the city from time to time for hundreds of years to come.
The area has remained in the condition in which the Romans have left it until the beginning of the 12th century when the army forces belonging to the Almohad Dynasty has settled near Sala Colonia to have a training camp before their battle against the Christians who were staying in Spain.
No officer or soldier in this military force knew that their camp would afterwards be mentioned clearly in the history of Morocco as their camp has acted as the first establishment of the Rabat, the Moroccan Capital.
After Sultan Al Mansur, who ruled over the Almohad Dynasty from 1184 till 1199 AD, had his historical victory over the Christians in the battle of Al Arak, he became fond of the location where his army had their camp preparing for the battle and decided that his new capital should be established in this same location.
Unfortunately, when Al Mansur passed away in 1199, Al Rabat was abounded by its populations who preferred to settle in the near bay city of Chella because of its location on the Bou Regreg River and the Mediterranean Sea to the North.
When the Marinid Dynasty came in power, Chella, being deserted for centuries, was in the best condition to turn into a burial site. Chella, being the location for the camp of the Almohad army who has beaten the Christians meant a lot for the Marinid who were totally against Christians and Catholics in particular. Many travelers who come for holidays in Morocco usually pay a visit to Chella, the most remarkable historical site in Rabat.
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