Chellah, Rabat — 250 years of American independence, celebrated at the oldest site of Morocco's capital, with its oldest diplomatic partner. The US Embassy in Rabat marked American Independence Day at the historic site of Chellah — where nearly 250 years of the world’s oldest diplomatic friendship were celebrated with fireworks, a drone show and an ambassador’s pledge to the next 250 years.
The site was chosen with intent. Chellah — the ancient Phoenician, Roman and medieval Moroccan site on the edge of Rabat — hosted the US Embassy’s National Day reception for the first time on Tuesday, as the United States marked its 250th Independence Day. The choice of venue placed a celebration of American history inside one of Morocco’s deepest layers of history: an appropriate setting for the world’s oldest diplomatic friendship.
Senior Moroccan officials, diplomats and partners from the public and private sectors gathered at Chellah for an evening that underscored the breadth of the bilateral partnership — spanning diplomacy, security, trade, investment, innovation and infrastructure. Morocco was the first country to recognise American independence, and the relationship that began then has never been interrupted. Its oldest physical marker remains the American Legation in Tangier, the oldest US diplomatic property anywhere in the world. Its newest is the recently opened US Consulate General in Casablanca.
“Tonight, as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we also celebrate a partnership rooted in history, strengthened by trust, and focused firmly on the next 250 years”. — Duke Buchan III, US Ambassador to Morocco · Chellah, Rabat, 9 June 2026
Ambassador Duke Buchan III used the occasion to signal a forward-looking dimension: the partnership, he said, demonstrates “our commitment to expanding economic and people-to-people ties, including efforts that advance His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s vision of the Moroccan Sahara as a hub for transatlantic partnership and opportunity”.
The Atlas Lions in the US — football as diplomacy
The evening also carried a sporting dimension: with Morocco competing in the 2026 World Cup hosted in the United States, the ambassador described the tournament as “another powerful example of the people-to-people connections that continue to strengthen ties between the two nations.” The reception concluded with fireworks and a drone show — a visual metaphor, the Embassy said, for the enduring friendship between the two countries and their shared vision for the future.
- Source: MAP