Salé

關於Salé

Salé is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé together form a single metropolitan area.

Founded in the 11th century, Sale became a medieval merchant port and entrepot. Salé became a haven for pirates in the 17th century as an independent republic before being incorporated into Alawi Morocco. It recorded a population of 1,089,554 in the 2024 Moroccan census. The city still preserves its historic medina (old town), with many major monuments dating from the Marinid period (13th–15th centuries). Salé is connected to Rabat by a tramway and also contains the Rabat–Salé Airport, the main international airport serving both cities.

The Phoenicians established a settlement called Sala, later the site of a Roman colony, Sala Colonia, across the river on the south side of the Bou Regreg estuary. The local Banu Ifran apparently cultivated the legend that the city's name was derived from that of Salah, son of Ham, son of Noah.

The Arab historians al-Bakri and Ibn Hawqal mention the existence of a town...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.