Historic 900kg Cannon Rescued from Melting Plot in Rabat’s Oudayas Kasbah

During the lockdown, a historical weapon had been stolen in Salé. Criminals have certainly taken inspiration from this criminal act by targeting last Monday the site of the Kasbah of the Oudayas in Rabat, to seize an old cannon. But they did not count on the vigilance of the security forces who managed to track down the thieves.

According to the daily Assabah, the cannon was found in the heating furnace of a traditional hammam located in the Sidi Fateh area in the old medina. Had it not been for the speed with which the police services carried out a raid on the premises, several centuries of history would have melted away in the blink of an eye, to extract the bronze and copper. The cannon was recovered in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Culture, the National Institute of Archaeological and Heritage Sciences, the Rabat military camp, the intelligence services and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).

An investigation has been opened under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office near the court of first instance of Rabat, in order to understand the circumstances in which an object of such value ended up on the street. The owner of the hammam was summoned, as well as an official from the National Institute of Archaeological and Heritage Sciences. The latter must explain to the investigators the reasons why he did not alert the authorities about the disappearance of the historical cannon. The ongoing investigation must also determine whether this case of theft is linked to the one that occurred in Salé and for which three burglars were arrested and brought before the courts, the same source specifies.