Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaër (; ar, الرباط سلا زمور زعير, , Berber: ''Errbaṭ-Sla-Zemmur-Zɛir'') was formerly one of the sixteen

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

from 1997 to 2015. It was situated in north-western Morocco. It covered an area of 9,580 km², and had a population of 2,676,754 (2014 census). The capital was

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

Administrative divisions

The region is made up into the following provinces and prefectures : * Prefecture of

(now part of the

Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Rabat-Salé-Kénitra ( ar, الرباط-سلا-القنيطرة, ar-ribāṭ salā al-qunayṭira; ber, ⴻⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ-ⵙⵍⴰ-ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, eṛṛbaṭ sla qniṭra) is one of the twelve administrative regions of Morocco. It is ...

Region) * Prefecture of

Salé Salé ( ar, سلا, salā, ; ber, ⵙⵍⴰ, sla) 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. Founded in about 1030 by the Banu Ifran, ...

(now part of the

Region) * Prefecture of Skhirat-Témara (now part of the

Region) * Khemisset Province (now part of the

Region)

History

Most of the population of this region has historically been concentrated in coastal areas. The first recorded history is centered at

Chellah The Chellah or Shalla ( ber, script=Latn, Sla or ; ar, شالة), is a medieval fortified Muslim necropolis and ancient archeological site in Rabat, Morocco, located on the south (left) side of the Bou Regreg estuary. The earliest evidence of ...

, an early

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n settlement at the edge of Rabat along the southern bank of the

Oued Bou Regreg The Bou Regreg ( ar, أبو رقراق) is a river located in western Morocco which discharges to the Atlantic Ocean between the cities of Rabat and Salé. The estuary of this river is termed Wadi Sala. The river is 240 kilometres long, with a ...

. Later the Romans took control and enlarged Chellah, whose ruins are today a prominent archaeological point of interest. Chellah was a significant ancient port city town with remains including the

Decumanus Maximus In Roman urban planning, a decumanus was an east–west-oriented road in a Roman city or castrum (military camp). The main decumanus of a particular city was the Decumanus Maximus, or most often simply "the Decumanus". In the rectangular street g ...

, a forum, a monumental fountain, a triumphal arch, and other ruins. In the seventeenth century the first regional governmental entity was formed, unifying Rabat and Salé.''The Middle East and North Africa: Essays in Honor of J.C. Hurewitz'', J. C. Hurewitz, Reeva S. Simon, 1990,

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

, 545 pages This regime was the headquarters of

Barbary pirates The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

and held sway over a turbulent time.

References

Former regions of Morocco {{Morocco-geo-stub