"Orientation: Sights from My First Two Weeks in Morocco" by Nadia Rassech
It’s been a week (or, two)! One orientation tour, two football matches, a three-day long weekend, and four course enrollments later… here’s a glimpse into a few of the sights seen during Amideast’s orientation week for the Area and Arabic Language Studies program in Rabat, Morocco. Including: moments in Tangier – a common location for students' first weekend trip outside of the city.
A view of the Tangier skyline before sunset, taken from a cafe window. Not pictured: piping hot glass of mint tea. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Whitewashed streets of Tangier, not far from the Ibn Battouta museum! Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Exploring more of Tangier… Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Modes of transport — from winding their way through the medina, to parked and acting as a cat’s resting place for the night. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Taken from within the Rabat medina. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Birds on the walls of the Chellah. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Commissioned by Sultan Yacoub al-Mansour in the 12th century, Hassan Tower was the minaret for what was intended to be the largest mosque in the world. However, with the Sultan’s passing, the project was never completed. Surrounding the minaret are rows upon rows of columns — additional remnants from the unfinished construction. Fun fact: This is where Morocco’s King Mohammed V led the first Friday prayers after independence! Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
The Moroccan flag is not a rare sight to see billowing over the streets of the capital city. In the background is the Mohammed VI Tower — the tallest building on the African continent! Though, according to more than a few of Rabat’s inhabitants, it’s more-so an eyesore — an awkward attraction unsuited to its surrounding environment. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
The walls of the old city, and the shadow of the Mohammed VI Tower in the background once again. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
View from the Kasbah des Oudayas. Near the foreground is the Chouhada Cemetery. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
More of the lovely ocean views from the citadel (Kasbah)! Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Exploring the surroundings of the Kasbah. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
A panoramic view of the 1km long walls surrounding the Chellah, built during the Marinid period (13-15th centuries). Through the ruins of the Chellah, one can observe Roman and Marinid legacies of the region. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
The storks of the Chellah! Nestled in the trees, minarets, surrounding walls…it's impossible to miss them. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Engravings from the Marinid period in the Chellah. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
More details from the Chellah archaeological site. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
The site is not only home to numerous storks, but peacocks as well! Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Of course, I couldn’t blog about my first two weeks in Rabat without dedicating at least one image to the cats of Rabat. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Lastly, a view of the ocean upon concluding a stroll through the L’Ocean area of Rabat. Photo credit: Rassech, 2025.
Nadia Rassech is a student studying abroad in the Fall 2025 on Amideast’s Area & Arabic Language Studies program in Rabat, Morocco.
