Why visit
- Bab Rouah is the quieter, purer Almohad gate — less-visited than Bab Oudaia, often empty, and with a working gallery programme inside. The facade's rhythm of interlocking arches and stylised shells is a textbook piece of Almohad geometry.
Bab Rouah
Rabat
Bab Rouah — "Gate of the Winds" — is the twin of Bab Oudaia but sited on the west side of Yacoub al-Mansour's Almohad wall, near today's Place Kennedy and the Royal Palace district. The facade is purer and more geometric than Bab Oudaia's, with two concentric arches and stylised carved medallions. The upper chambers inside the gate were converted into an exhibition space in the 1980s and now host rotating contemporary art shows run by the Ministry of Culture.
What to expect
- Two monumental concentric horseshoe arches carved into pink sandstone, with medallions and floral bands at the spandrels. The interior passage is a classic bent entrance. Above, three vaulted chambers host temporary exhibitions — modern canvases and installations inside centuries-old stonework, often an arresting contrast.
Best time
- Weekday afternoons during an exhibition run — you'll likely have the galleries to yourself. Weekends get a small local crowd, especially on opening nights.
How to combine
- Walk the Almohad wall south toward Bab Zaer and Chellah, or north toward Bab el Had and the medina. Combine with Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art for a focused contemporary-art half-day.
Location
Rabat
FAQs
Yes, when an exhibition is on — the upper chambers become the gallery. When there's no show, the gate is still a striking exterior stop but interior access closes.
The Ministry of Culture posts a banner on the facade and notices around the Ville Nouvelle. Shows typically last six to ten weeks and skew toward contemporary Moroccan painting, photography, and sculpture.
It's on the big roundabout at Place Kennedy, a 10-minute walk from the train station or the medina. Taxis recognise "Bab Rouah."
Absolutely for architecture lovers. Pair with the Almohad wall walk toward Chellah, or combine with Mohammed VI Museum for a contemporary-art afternoon.
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