The oldest bit of Rabat, The Chellah is the site of the original Phoenician and then Roman settlements; the Classical remains decayed rapidly after the site was abandoned in the 12^th Century. So it was probably already an atmospheric spot when the Merinid dynasty turned it into a walled necropolis in the 14^th Century. Today it is Rabat’s premier attraction in our opinion, the funerary monuments combining with the cliff-top location and stork nests, to create a peaceful, engaging place to pass an hour or two.