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Helen Betts | profile | all galleries >> Morocco Adventure >> Hassan II Mosque: Jewel of Casablanca tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Hassan II Mosque: Jewel of Casablanca

For various reasons, Casablanca almost got left off our itinerary, but I insisted on going there because I wanted to see the Hassan II Mosque, especially after having visited the monumental mosques in Abu Dhabi and Muscat. I wasn’t disappointed, because it was simply spectacular.

We didn’t see much else in Casablanca because quite frankly, there didn’t seem to be much else to see other than the famous Rick’s Café. I can say I’ve been there, but it’s not a place I’d go back to.

About the mosque:

“With a prayer hall that can accommodate 25.000, the Hassan II Mosque is the second-largest religious building in the world, after the mosque in Mecca. The complex covers 9 hectares (978,774 square feet), two-thirds of it being built over the sea. The minaret, the lighthouse of Islam, is 200 m (656 feet) high, and two laser beams, reaching over a distance of 30 km (18.5 miles) shine in the direction of Mecca. The building was designed by Michel Pinseau, 35,000 craftsmen worked on it, and it opened in 1993. … [It] is a monument to Moroccan architectural virtuosity and craftsmanship.” (“Eyewitness Travel, Morocco”)
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
Courtyard
Courtyard
Gate
Gate
Fountain
Fountain
The view
The view
A closer view
A closer view
Waiting
Waiting
Simple but elegant
Simple but elegant
Entry with columns
Entry with columns
Door detail
Door detail
A closer view
A closer view
The way in
The way in
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
Arches and more arches
Arches and more arches
'Layered ceilings'
'Layered ceilings'
Ceiling detail
Ceiling detail
A sense of scale
A sense of scale
Fine craftsmanship
Fine craftsmanship
Gilded
Gilded
Elaborate
Elaborate
What lies beyond
What lies beyond
Doorway detail
Doorway detail
Intricate ceiling
Intricate ceiling
Hall with a view
Hall with a view
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
In the ablutions room
In the ablutions room
Fountain
Fountain
Pool
Pool
Stairway art
Stairway art
Double
Double
A different kind of fountain
A different kind of fountain
The minaret, 'lighthouse of Islam'
The minaret, 'lighthouse of Islam'
Traditional gate
Traditional gate
Arcade
Arcade
Yet another aspect
Yet another aspect
Across the plaza
Across the plaza
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque
Closer view
Closer view
Last glance
Last glance