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Mohammed V Mausoleum - it houses the tombs of the first Moroccan Kings after the independance from the French, Mohammed V, who died in 1961 and his son, Hassan II, who died in 1999. I am not sure about who else is buried there besides one of the brothers of Mohammed V.

If you want to see how the uniforms of those guards look, I have posted a WS with one in duty at one of the doors of the mausoleum

Mohammed V, a member f the Alaouite dinasty, which ruled the country since 1670, is a figure much respected in Morocco because he his considered one of the main responsibles for the independance from the French, who efectively ruled the country since the late 19th century until 1956. It was the only North African king that managed to keep his kingdon, contrarily to the kings of Tunisia and Egypt, who were knocked down by republican leaders. The most probable cause to this was the truly Moroccan origins of the Alaouites and their popularity both with the people and much of the political elites of all backgrounds (left wing included).

The building and the adjacent mosque were designed by the Vietnamese architect Vo Toan and were built during the early 1960's. They ocuppy part of the ruins of the unfinished huge Hassan Mosque, dated from the late 12th Century.

The place is very well kept and is located on a superb location, at the top of a hill with impressive views in every direction - one can see much of the old part of Rabat and the sister town across the Bou Regreg River, Sale, the estuary of that river and the sea.

Those men on the image are the guards, whose uniforms are very traditional and eye catching. I have plans to post one or two close-ups of these guards. Gustaw

I have posted other photos of this place:
«Hassan tower I», «Hassan tower II», «Hassan tower III» and «Mohammed V Mausoleum and Mosque».

I have also other photos in WS's:

* A zoomed and cropped version of «Hassan tower II»

* A zoomed view of «Mohammed V Mausoleum and Mosque»

* A couple of views shot near the base of the tower: «towards the sea (West)» and «towards Sale (North)».

* A portrait of a royal guard in duty at one of the doors of the mausoleum. TE member Gustaw has a nice post with a close-up of another guard.

I have a 'travelogue' of this trip of mine to Morocco (not a real travelogue, I have set it up just to group the posts).