The museum is situated in the opulent lodge built by Moulay Ismail in the XVIIth century as his Rabat residence. The garden is the first of its masterpieces. The exuberance of the vegetation softens the strict geometry of its paths. Flower beds, fountains and ramparts make it the very finest of all Andalusian gardens.

At the far end is a room reproducing an ancient Moroccan interior with a vast bay opening onto this glorious spectacle. Cushions in brocade, silk and gold cover the divans all around the room. A little further on, in a cool marble room, stand rows of very old illuminated Korans, jewellery, pottery and musical instruments.

The exceptional carpet collection deserves particular attention. The city style Rabat carpet can have as many as 150,000 stitches per square metre! The craftsmen - or rather the artists - have taken up traditional motifs and developed them inventively. Using a less elaborate technique, the rural carpets, called Berbers, demonstrate a powerful sense of composition, colour and ornamentation which is an art of its own with a unique appeal. The royal palace lies right in the heart of Rabat, and its area is open for trespassing. As a matter of fact, you can get quite close to the real palace before the guards start to feel uneasy. But quite honestly, what you see is only moderately impressive - the real beauty is behind the walls.

Right across from the Royal Palace, the King's own mosque stands. Neither old nor terribly big, it still offers a fine example of Islamic architecture. Its placement gives it an added quality - between it and the Royal Palace the is nothing but the wide square Rabat has a couple of places where both Moroccans and foreigners come. These places come both in the shape of bars as well as discos. While there are plenty of the typical nightclub/bar/brothel places in Rabat, a handful of places are visited by young Moroccans of both sexes, and on equal terms.

Both bus and taxis have their stations a bit out of town, and getting a taxi to connect to the town centre will be vital. Despite its unfortunate location, buses and taxis prove their value by serving every possible destination.

Rabat has a moderate price level for most hotels, except in the old city which has hiked up prices for the often miserable quality. With just a few exceptions, the best budget hotel rooms of Rabat are found in modern, downtown Rabat.

The camping ground, just across the river, is of good quality, and offer a good alternative to most of the cheap hotels in town.