The Arribat Center, or Arribat Mall, has been under construction for the past few years. Now that it’s complete, it is the biggest mall in Morocco – and the biggest in Africa! With everything from a Virgin Electronics megastore to Kitea and H&M, the mall offers the people of Rabat an alternative to both Rabat’s Megamall and Casablanca’s Morocco Mall.
The floor plan of the mall takes up 5 hectares/12 acres (an entire block of Avenue Omar Ibn Alkhattab and a block of Avenue United Nations, and all the space in between!), and the project has required 2.4 billion Moroccan dirhams for completion. The mall includes multiple levels of stores and businesses, as well as significant space underground for a parking garage that can reportedly hold more than 1000 cars.
In addition to a full-sized Marjane supermarket and a multi-screen Megarama cinema for the Qalam students to enjoy, the Arribat Center also houses a large food court with at least ten vendors and many yet to be opened! With food ranging from McDonald’s to sushi to chwarma to Venezia Ice, it’s safe to say that the diverse options offer something for everyone. The Center’s 4-star Marriott Hotel, set to open in the coming months, is also sure to bring in guests from around the world.
As if there weren’t enough reasons to study abroad in Rabat, this new mall definitely offers Arabic students from all walks of life a modern experience directly across from Qalam wa Lawh, and mere minutes from the more traditional aspects and neighborhoods of the historic city.