Completed in 1994, the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca is the most westerly mosque in the Muslim world and the stats surrounding this incredible building are staggering. The mosque is the world's second largest after Mecca with space for 80,000 worshippers in total (25,000 in the prayer hall in the interior of the mosque and the rest on the forecourt). The buiding was funded by the Moroccan people (each citizen was invited to make a donation according to their means) and the construction, which took 5 years, used a workforce of the best craftsmen in the country, and used almost exclusively traditional materials. The mosque's minaret is the tallest building in Morocco (at 700ft) and emits a green laser beam in the direction of Mecca, the prayer hall has a high-tech retractable roof, and the mighty doors that you see pictured are made of titanium. The scale and sophistication of the construction, which cost over a billion dollars, remains the largest and most ambitious project in Morocco's history. The mosque's interior is a 'tour de force' of Moroccan architectural motifs and craftsmanship, amplified by the enormous scale of the building. The mosque also houses a museum, shop and huge hammam (steam bath, pool and ablution room) in the bowels of the building. It is also one of the only mosques in Morocco that you can enter as a non-Muslim, and tours run several times a day. The mosque is without doubt Casablanca's premier tourist attraction but the town is also home to some excellent art-deco architecture, some very good restaurants (like "A ma Bretagne" in Ain Diab), the most modern hotel accommodation in Morocco, and some lively nightlife. The city, although not the capital of Morocco (the capital is Rabat) is the commercial and economic hub of the country. Most of Morocco's largest companies and the offices of some multi-national firms base themselves here, and, more than any other city in Morocco, Casablanca runs very much along the lines of a European city. Here you'll see a higher percentage of businessmen and women lunching over an international meal with wine than anywhere else in Morocco, and the city is home to some of the plushest villas in North Africa. Although well off the tourist trail, many visitors' first taste of Morocco is Casablanca (being the main airport hub of Morocco), and many will be surprised by how unlike the rest of Morocco it is. You'll also quickly realise that it has no connection with the mythical "Casablanca" in the film, which was filmed entirely in the United States.....
|
