Places

(Casablanca Twin Center)

Also known as Casa or Dar el Baida, Casablanca is essentially the capital of Morocco . Any European citizen or traveler will feel immediately at home here and will have an almost instinctive understanding of the life here. There are plenty of hotels in and around Casablanca . Regardless of the size of your budget , you can find a superb place to enjoy a meal in this vibrant city. Entertain your wildest holiday fantasies in Casablanca !

Casablanca was established as a town in 1906 with a population of 20 000. Later in 1907 when the French landed here, Fez was its commercial center whilst Tangier was set up as the city's main harbor. The French were soon ousted however and had to seek a new port altogether and Tangier remained Moroccan. Things have changed much since then however. With a population of over 3 million, Casablanca resembles a Southern European city. Today all duties are handled here except for administration.

(King Hassan II Mosque)

The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque located in Casablanca , Morocco . Designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues , it is the second largest in the world (after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca ). It stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic , which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210  metres (689  ft ).

Built on reclaimed land, almost half of the surface of the mosque lies over the Atlantic water. This was inspired by the verse of the Qur'an that states "the throne of God was built on the water". Part of floor of this facility is glass so worshippers can kneel directly over the sea; above, spotlights shine at night from the top of the minaret toward Mecca .

These features were specifically requested by King Hassan II, who declared, "I want to build this mosque on the water, because God's throne is on the water. Therefore, the faithful who go there to pray, to praise the creator on firm soil, can contemplate God's sky and ocean."

It also includes a number of modern touches: it was built to withstand earthquakes and has a heated floor, electric doors, and a sliding roof.

The mosque displays strong Moorish influence and the architecture of the building is similar to that of the Alhambra and the Mezquita in Spain . This and the old Tin Mal Mosque are the only mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims. Non-Muslims may view the interior on hour-long guided tours that depart several times daily.