Editing Rabat (section)

===Corsair republic===
In 1609, [[Philip III of Spain|Philip III]] decreed the [[Expulsion of the Moriscos|expulsion]] of all [[Morisco]]s (people of Muslim or [[Moors|Moorish]] descent) from [[Spain]]. About 2000 of these refugees, originally from the town of [[Hornachos]] near [[Badajoz]], Spain, settled around Salé and occupied the kasbah, attracting between 5000 and 14,000 other Moriscos to join them.<ref name="Touri-2010" /> Rabat and neighboring Salé united to form the [[Republic of Bou Regreg]] in 1627.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Levant|first1=Yves|last2=Maziane|first2=Leïla|date=2017-01-02|title=The Republic of Salé (1627–1641/1666); an alternative pirate organization model?|journal=Management & Organizational History|volume=12|issue=1|pages=1–29|doi=10.1080/17449359.2017.1296773|s2cid=157363174|issn=1744-9359}}</ref> This autonomous republic became a base for [[Barbary pirates|corsairs]]: pirates, also known as the "[[Salé Rovers]]", who preyed on merchant ships around the shores of [[Western Europe]].<ref name="Touri-2010" /><ref name="Abun-Nasr-1987a">{{Cite book |last=Abun-Nasr |first=Jamil |title=A history of the Maghrib in the Islamic period |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1987 |isbn=0521337674 |location=Cambridge}}</ref> [[File:Muraille des Andalous 2 - Rabat.JPG|thumb|The [[Andalusian wall of Rabat|Andalusian Wall]] today, added inside the Almohad walled enclosure during the 17th century]]
During this time, the area below the kasbah on the south bank became more heavily populated, thanks to the Morisco and Andalusi refugees. A new "[[Andalusian wall of Rabat|Andalusian Wall]]" was built to delimit this area in the northern part of the former Almohad walled city. What is now known as the Street of the Consuls became an important road artery even at this time.<ref name="Mouline-2008" /><ref name="Touri-2010" /> The name "Rabat" was not yet in use; the city of the south bank was known as "New Salé" while the city of the north bank was known as "Old Salé". Corsair activities were based in New Salé, whereas the inhabitants of Old Salé generally did not participate in piracy.<ref name="Mouline-2008" />