Casablanca Things to Do Tips by JLBG Top 5 Page for this destination

Police Hassan II Mosque Review

In Morocco, police have always been very present. In the past few years it is often less visible but anyway, it discreetly checks that nothing wrong occurs. In front of the mosque, only a few policemen walk across the esplanade, mainly to give information to visitors. However, more substantial police is half hidden in the surrounding.

The main entrance Hassan II Mosque Review

The figure of a person gives an idea of the size of this whole mosque.

What cannot be seen here is that the inside is light by 50 chandeliers made in Murano crystal, each 6 meters in diameter, 15 meters high and weighting 1,200 kg. The roof, all in aluminum tiles, stands at 60 meters from the soil, weighs 1,100 tons and can open completely in 5 minutes (some documents say 3 minutes!).

A fountain Hassan II Mosque Review

On the side, a fountain allows pilgrims to wash their hands before going into the Mosque. Inside, the ablution hall is under the prayers hall and is decorated with large lotus flowers in marble from which water is flowing. With a Turkish bath and a hamman, there is inside the building everything that is needed to be perfectly clean before the prayer. This is the only mosque in Morocco than can be visited by non Moslems.

The other doorway Hassan II Mosque Review

The other main doorway is equally decorated, though a different in the details. Every carving was handmade and more than ten thousands of the best Moroccan craftsmen worked night and day for several years to achieve the whole decoration. It has cost a lot of money, between 450 millions and 2 billions of €uros. For several years, everybody in Morocco had to give from its own will. State servants were strongly "invited" to give one month of salary. Peasant to give their part when entering the souk with their goods, shopkeepers following their income, etc…

Earthquake proof ! Hassan II Mosque Review

All of Northern Africa is submitted to main earthquakes. The African plaque is pushing against the Eurasian plaque. In the recent past, many deadly earthquakes have hit Northern Morocco and Algeria. In 1755, most coastal cities of Morocco were heavily hit. In 1960, Agadir was entirely destroyed (12,000 dead). In 1969, another earthquakes hit the coast with 200 casualties. On February 24th 2004, Al Hoceima, in the North was also severely hit and the death toll was more than 150.
There is no surprise that the whole mosque has been build earthquake proof!

Below 200m of marble ! Hassan II Mosque Review

It is when you are just below the 200 meters of the minaret that it is the most impressive. This new "headlight of Islam" is equiped with a panoramic elevator with glass walls. It was under revision when we were there but it was ought to run again in 2004.

Monumental doorway Hassan II Mosque Review

This monumental doorway gives an idea of the way everything is delicatly carved. All the inside walls are covered with carved plaster. The capitals are carved marble, the columns of granite, except the mirhab columns, made of Carrara marble.
I have no photos of the inside as we had not enough time to visit it.

Arches Hassan II Mosque Review

The inside can be visited (50 Dh) and can welcome 25,000 persons (20,000 men and separately, 5,000 women, in mezzanines) and the esplanade 150,000 more on it's 20,000 m2. Notre Dame de Paris could be dropped inside the main praying room, 200 x 100 meters!

The minaret Hassan II Mosque Review

King Hassan II, "Commander of the believers", is descending from Mohammed, and wanted to leave to the posterity a monument worthy his reign. It had to be finished for his 60th birthday and the time allotted was pretty tight. When completed, the minaret is the highest in the world (200 m) and can be seen from several dozen of kilometers away.

Towards the entrance Hassan II Mosque Review

The soil, as is the building itself, is made of reinforced concrete covered with marble.
Once you arrive close to the building, you discover that he Mosque,built mainly over the Ocean, is surrounded by the Ocean on three sides. This gives the strange impression as, with the wide esplanade in front, it is separated from the city, to be a "nowhere" place.