Boulaouane Kasbah

Boulaouane stands on a bluff inside a meander of the Oum er-Rbia in empty rolling country between the coast and the interior - a kasbah built in 1710 for Moulay Ismail, with a walled enclosure, a monumental gate carrying an inscription with the date, a mosque and minaret inside, cisterns, and a residence, all in stone and earth. Its purpose was the usual one for his kasbahs: holding a route and a river crossing with a garrison. It is only partly restored and largely empty, with parts collapsed, no staff, no ticket and no signage, and the walk round the walls with the river below and the plain running away is what there is. The name is also a wine: Gris de Boulaouane, a pale rosé from vineyards on this plain, is one of the better-known Moroccan wines and the vines are visible from the kasbah.

History

The kasbah was commissioned around 1710, one of many built under Sultan Moulay Isma'il as local centres of administration, on a bend of the Oum Er-Rbia reached by a corridor known as Al-Kurrasa. It was later abandoned and filled with sand up to the height of its walls, and much sand had to be cleared to restore parts of it such as the mosque (Wikipedia, Kasbah Boulaouane).

What to look for

• A 1710 garrison kasbah - walls, gate, mosque and cisterns on a river bluff.
• A dated inscription - the building's year carved on the monumental gate.
• An empty ruin - only partly restored, unstaffed and unsigned, with parts collapsed.
• Vineyards below - the plain that produces Gris de Boulaouane.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Two hours. A car is essential.

Before you go

The structure is unstable in places and there is no supervision. There is no signage or facility of any kind. Minor roads to it are poorly marked. Summer heat on the plain is severe.

Nearby

El Jadida is north-west; Settat is east on the Casablanca-Marrakech road.

Key facts