rue des Consuls (Consuls Street), Rabat

rue des Consuls (Street of the Consuls) is one of the oldest and most famous streets in Rabat, classified as a historic monument. Indeed, the history of this area goes back 500 years. In 1609, King Philip III of Spain expelled all the Moriscos (people of Muslim or Moorish descent) from the country, a good number of whom (up to 14,000) settled in Rabat and neighboring Salé, in 1627. The autonomous Corsair Republic of Salé that they formed became a base for corsairs (pirates), who preyed on merchant ships around the shores of Western Europe. Back then, the area below the Kasbah, on the south bank, grew heavily populated, and the territory of today's Rue des Consuls became an important road artery.

It was during that time that the first ambassadors came here to negotiate the release of prisoners kept by the pirates. The most famous of them, perhaps, was Louis Chénier, father of the French poet André Chénier, who served here for from 1768 to 1782, representing King of France.

Pursuant to a treaty signed with the Sultan, foreign diplomats were allowed to buy back their compatriots from the pirate captivity at the Souk El Ghazal in the special "negotiation zone". Owing to this, for centuries, first during the Republic of Salé and then under the Chérifien Empire, up until 1912, this neighborhood had been a home to numerous ambassadors and consuls, particularly European ones. Today, it still houses residences of the Swedish, Danish and Dutch envoys.

Also, rue des Consuls is a home to the landmark craft souk renowned for the traditional carpets, rugs, jewelry, leather, silks, lamps, wooden furniture and of course the traditional babouches (loose garments) and jellabahs (slippers) sold here in abundance and attracting many tourists. Here, alongside handmade tagine pottery and other authentic stuff, you can also find dried fruits and various types of Moroccan spices.