About 1 M. to the S. of the town, near the outer walls, is the Dâr el-Makhzen, a second palace of the sultan, with the burial-mosque of Mohammed XVII. and Mulaï Hassan (1873–94), and a beautiful garden.
Near this is the S.E. outer gateway. Among the neighbouring hills, beyond a small Mohammedan burial-ground, is a walled and turreted square enclosing the ancient town of *Shellah, the mouldering ruins of which are overgrown with rank vegetation; we find here an excellent well. In the dilapidated burial-mosque repose the Almohade Abû Yakûb (p. [61]), the Merinide Ali V. (d. 1351), and other sovereigns.—A little way off, on the S. margin of the swampy and malarious river-flats, are famous orange-gardens.
A ferry connects Rabât with the antiquated town of Salee, Saleh, or Slâ, the Sala of the Carthaginians and Romans, which, down to recent times, was like Larash one of the most dreaded haunts of pirates (‘Salee rovers’) and one of the worst slave-markets in all Morocco. The town shows every sign of decay; but its gates, especially the Bâb el-Ansera (now walled up), with its two towers, the ruinous gate of the cemetery, and the domed tombs of saints, all present a most fascinating architectural picture.
Proceeding on her course the Steamer skirts a monotonous, treeless coast, broken only by the mouths of a few small rivers, with here and there a poor village. One of these villages is Fedalah (in the middle ages Afdalah), once a thriving little seaport, which was temporarily occupied by the Spaniards in 1773. On a headland much exposed to N. winds, 190 M. from Tangier, lies—
Casablanca.—Passengers are conveyed from the steamers, which anchor in the open roads to the N.E. of the town, to the new quay by boat (2½ p. each person).
Hotels. Hôt. Central, R. 4–5, B. 1, D. 2, pens. 10–12 fr., Hôt. de France, pens. 8–10 fr., both good; Hôt. Moderne, pens. 8–10 fr.; Hôt. de l’Univers; Hôt. de l’Europe; Hôt. Continental; Hôt. de Cuba, outside the town, Spanish.
Consuls. British, A. M. Madden; vice-consuls, E. G. Lomas, R. H. Broome.—United States Consular Agent, H. Toel.
English Church. St. John the Evangelist’s, outside the town; service every Sun. at 11 a.m.
Casablanca, Arabic Dâr el-Beida (‘the white house’), a town of 31,700 inhab. (incl. 2500 French and as many Spaniards), was founded in the 16th cent. by the Portuguese as Casa Branca on the ruins of the ancient (Phœnician?) town of Anfa. The place appears in mediæval Venetian charts as Níffe or Anafe, but it was abandoned by the Moors in 1468. The town was destroyed in 1755 by an earthquake simultaneous with that of Lisbon; it was not rebuilt till the 19th cent., and is now the most important outlet in the country for Moroccan commodities (exports and imports in 1909 ca. 25½ million fr.). To this centre are brought cattle from the neighbouring provinces, from the remoter districts of Tadla (or Tedla), and from the steppes of the Central Atlas, while the fertile region of Shâuya supplies it with grain and wool. Thanks to the peace and security which the French troops of occupation have restored trade has steadily increased.
The town, which is still enclosed by a wall of defence built in the Portuguese period, lies on a terrace of Devonian sandstone (E. side) and slate (W. side), in which the surf has worn a small shallow bay. The harbour thus formed is to be protected by a breakwater (in course of construction) which will make landing and embarking in all weathers possible (comp. above).—From the harbour we pass through the Waterport Gate into the main street of the Medina or Mohammedan business quarter. Most of the foreign consulates and banks and the international Anfa Club are situated in this street. Just off it are the British Consulate and the British Post Office, while higher up is the new French post-office. The Mellah, or Jewish quarter, lies on the S. side of the town.