Hassan II Mosque, located in Casablanca, may have been designed by a French architect, Michel Pinseau, but it is thoroughly Moroccan.
Casablanca, the largest city in north Africa, is also known as Casa or Dar el Baida. It’s noisy, it’s smelly, it’s frantic but don’t let that put you off! It’s also stunningly beautiful with plenty of things to do. As a tourist destination its popularity is increasingly rapidly.
The modern city was designed by a team of architects in 1912. The city spreads in star-shaped fashion from the Place des Nations Unies along wide, spacious avenues lined with elegant buildings in Art Deco and Neo-Moorish styles, cupolad and columned with cedar wood balconies and turrets. But by far outstripping this elegance is the Hassan II Mosque.
The Mosque, the second largest in the world after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, was designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau. It looks out onto the Atlantic and its sheer size almost overwhelms both city and coastline.
The Mosque is one of the few Islamic buildings that is open to non-Muslim visitors. It is open for guided tours every day except Friday. Tours are available in several languages. You must dress modestly: shorts, mini-skirts or bare shoulders for both men and women will not be tolerated! Shoes must be removed on entering and you'll be given a plastic bag to put them in.
World’s tallest Minaret
The Mosque was built to mark the 60th birthday of Hassan II, the former king of Morocco in the most spectacular and beautiful style. Its minaret is the world’s tallest, at 210 metres, with a laser light pointing towards Mecca, that is visible for miles around both day and night.
More than 5,500 artisans, all experts in traditional Moroccan skills, worked on the Mosque for five years. Together they created stunning mosaics, beautiful marble floors and columns, sculpted plaster moldings, cedar wood engraved panels and painted wood ceilings. The bathing area, beneath the Mosque is especially beautiful. Most of the materials used were sourced within Morocco.
The vast prayer hall, entered through impressive double doors, is reputed to be large enough to accommodate St Peter's (Rome) or Notre Dame (Paris) with room to spare, holds 25,000 worshippers and the surrounding esplanade can accommodate another 80,000. The retractable roof can be opened or closed in minutes in the event of bad weather.
Useful Information
The Moroccan currency is the Dirham (dh). It is illegal to import currency from abroad and this must be purchased when you arrive. Morocco’s main languages are Moroccan Arabic and French. The local time is Greenwich Mean Time so if you’re flying from the United Kingdom there is no jet lag!
Morocco’s main religion is Islam but the city is home to Catholic, Jewish and other faiths. Most restaurants are closed during daylight hours during Ramadan.
Additional information about Morocco can be obtained from the Moroccan National Tourist Board.
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