Rabat transformed into an open-air museum for annual street art festival

Artists added a pop of color to the Moroccan city of Rabat, covering some of its walls with murals during a street art festival.

The annual festival held earlier this month is named Jidar, Arabic for wall.

More than 30 artists from eight countries colored the capital of Morocco with their work. The Jidar festival, held since 2015, aims to bring art closer to people, integrating it into public spaces.

"The festival never truly ends when its official dates are over. On the contrary, once the festival ends, the real interaction begins between people and the artworks," said Salaheddine Malouli, the director of Jidar festival.

The artists were lifted up on cherry pickers along with their supplies to be able to reach the top of the walls, which served as their blank canvas.

Moroccan street artist Oussama Moussaoui who goes by Masawi, painted a mural in red and vibrant shades of purple.

"This mural symbolizes the city of Rabat, the City of Lights. When you look at the letters from afar, they appear scattered, but if you gather and arrange them, they form the word, Rabat," Moussaoui said.

More than 100 murals have been painted in the walls of Rabat during the 10 years the city has hosted the festival this year, and during the ten days length of the festival that ended on May 18, tours were organized to visit the murals and explain the work of the artists.