Chellah, (Arabic: شالة) or Sala Colonia is a necropolis and complex of ancient[1] and medieval[2] ruins that lie on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco’s Ville Nouvelle, or modern section. This site is the most ancient human settlement on the mouth of the Bou Regreg River.
The Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, who founded several colonies in Morocco, probably inhabited the banks of the Bou Regreg. Chellah is the site of the ruins of the Roman town known as Sala Colonia and referred to as Sala by Ptolemy. Extant are ruined Roman architectural elements including a Decumanus Maximus, as well as those of a forum and a triumphal arch.
The site was abandoned in 1154 AD in favour of nearby Salé. The Almohad dynasty used the ghost town as a necropolis. In the mid-14th century, a Merinid sultan, Abu l-Hasan, built several monuments and the main gate (dated to 1339). These later Merinid additions included a mosque, a zawiya, and royal tombs, including that of Abu l-Hasan.[3]
Many of the structures in Chellah were damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The site has been converted to a garden and tourist venue.
Coordinates: 34°00′24″N 6°49′13″W / 34.006671°N 6.820293°W
References
- ^ Justin McGuinness, Footprint Morocco, 2003, 560 pages, ISBN 190347163X
- ^ Ken Bernstein, Morocco, 2001, Hunter Publishing, Inc, 64 pages ISBN 2884520031
- ^ C. Michael Hogan, Chellah, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham, [1]
External links
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