Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
HASSAN II MOSQUE
Built by the late King Hassan II to commemorate his 60th birthday, this enormous
mosque
OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(guided tours adult/child/student Dh120/30/60; tours 9am, 10am,
11am & 2pm Sat-Thu, 9am, 10am & 2pm Fri) was funded by public subscription. It was completed in
1993 and provides Casablanca with an important landmark. A new
Islamic media centre and library
( 8am-6pm Mon-Fri) can be found in the grounds.
Designed by French architect Michel Pinseau the mosque rises above the ocean on a rocky outcrop
reclaimed from the sea, echoing the verse from the Quran that states that God's throne was built upon
the water. The 210m-high minaret, the tallest minaret in the world, is topped by a spectacular laser
beam that shines towards Mecca. It is the world's third-largest mosque, accommodating 25,000 wor-
shippers inside, and a further 80,000 in the courtyards and squares around it. Believers can enjoy pray-
ing on a centrally heated floor, seeing the Atlantic washing the rocks underneath the glass floor in the
basement and feel the sunlight through the retractable roof.
Above all, the vast size and elaborate decoration of the
prayer hall
is most striking. Large enough
to house Paris' Notre Dame or Rome's St Peter's, it is blanketed in astonishing woodcarving,
zellij
(tilework) and stucco moulding. A team of over 6000 master crafts-people was assembled to work on
the mosque, delicately carving intricate patterns and designs in cedar from the Middle Atlas, marble
from Agadir and granite from Tafraoute.
To see the interior visitors must be 'decently and respectfully dressed' and, once inside, will be
asked to remove their shoes. Hour-long tours are conducted in French, English, German and Spanish,
and take in the prayer hall, the ablutions rooms and the hammam.
Villa des Arts
GALLERY
( 0522 29 50 87;
www.fondationona.ma
; 30 Blvd Brahim Roudani; 10am-7pm Tue-Sat)
Located in a converted art deco building with a pleasant garden near the Parc de la Ligue
Arabe, this gorgeous 1930s gallery holds exhibitions of contemporary Moroccan and in-
ternational art.
