Salé: The Former Corsair Republic Facing Rabat
Published on 10 juillet 2026
On the right bank of the Bouregreg, Salé preserves the memory of its Corsair Republic and one of Morocco's Marinid masterpieces.
Facing Rabat across the Bouregreg estuary, Salé preserves a fortified medina less visited than its neighbour but just as rich in history, spanning a corsair past and Marinid art.
A corsair city-state in the 17th century
In the early 17th century, thousands of Moriscos — Spanish Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity and then expelled by Philip III — settled in Salé and founded a largely autonomous city-state known as the Republic of Salé or the Bou Regreg Republic. This community ran a corsair fleet that roamed the Atlantic, combining trade and piracy, until Sultan Moulay Slimane put an end to the practice in 1818. This turbulent episode left a lasting mark on the town's identity.
A gem of Marinid architecture
Predating that period by centuries, the Medersa Merinid, built in 1332–1333 on the orders of Sultan Abu al-Hasan, reveals another side of Salé: that of a major intellectual and religious centre of medieval Morocco. Within just 180 m², it concentrates polychrome zellige tilework, carved wood and finely chiselled plaster.
Continue the discovery
The Salé destination page brings together all the town's sites available to book.
Practical information
Salé is easily reached from Rabat, just a few minutes away by car or tram, making it easy to combine visits to both cities in a single trip, thanks to a temperate coastal climate year-round.