Casablanca, Morocco

April 13, 2024

Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city and industrial center.

When we arrived at the port, we saw that the Regent ship that has been either leading or following us had already arrived. It is another beautiful day, predicted to be hot but the breezes will probably keep it a reasonable temperature.

We chose the tour of the Hassan II Mosque and El Jadida. Our guide was Larrbe and he was very good. All of the guides we have had on this trip so far have been excellent English speakers and he was no exception.

He started out by telling us that the skeletons of the oldest known homo sapiens in the world were found here – dating back to 315,000 years ago. I really don’t know how they figure this stuff out, but never mind that!

Casablanca was ruled by the Portuguese for 267 years and there is a lot of architectural influence from that era. Casablanca means “white house” in Spanish and the city was named for a small white building near the ocean. The city’s name changed several times as both France and Spain ruled at different times in the city’s history. The city wall was built back in the 15th century.

Of course, most Americans know Casablanca from the movie of the same name. Rick’s Cafe was a prominent part of that movie – where Bogart and Bergman met. It was actually filmed in California, but you can eat in the replica that is here. Here’s lookin at ya kid.

We drove through the city to the Hassan II Mosque which is quite amazing. Non Muslims can apparently not enter unless on a tour. The compound is huge and has a school and many other buildings. It is one of the largest mosques in the world. It’s known for its stunning architecture, including the 210-meter tall minaret, making it the tallest religious structure in the world. The mosque can accommodate up to 105,000 worshippers and features intricate marble flooring, exquisite tilework, and a retractable roof. It’s also situated partially over the Atlantic Ocean, providing a breathtaking view. Completed in 1993, the mosque is a masterpiece of Moroccan craftsmanship and Islamic architecture. Larrbe told us it took 15 million hours to build and was completed in 5 years. Cedar, marble, bronze and Murano glass were used in the building. Moroccan people from the city all contributed to the building of the mosque. Rich people contributed a lot but even those with little money used boxes that were placed all around the city to contribute even a small amount.

The tower or minaret is square in shape unlike those of any other mosque we saw anywhere else in the world. Larrbe told us that the Turks never conquered Morocco and the circular ones are Turkish. These square ones are only found in Morocco.

The mosque is named after Hassan II who was the father of the current king. Here are some pictures of both the outside and inside of the main building.

This is in the room where people prepare before coming to pray. It is a huge room with many of these fountains that flow down into a circular small pool. Muslims have to clean hands, face and feet three times before they go upstairs to pray. They aren’t used anymore – now people clean in the rest rooms.

This is the retractable roof that actually opens up when they want to let more air in

You never know when you need a substitute tour guide!

After our visit, we set off for the 90 minute trip to El Jadida. During the trip Larrbe entertained us with Moroccan jokes and many details about life here. Casablanca has the largest mall in Africa, miles of bike trails and is a very clean city. It is also very dry. 40% of the population of 5 million people are employed in agriculture. They have a long coastline of both Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

When we reached El Jadida, we heard that 75 % of the world’s phosphate comes from this region and there is even a separate commission to regulate the 30 million tons that are produced each year. It is use mostly for fertilizers but also has use in medicines.

One of the things we saw along the way is the mini vans outfitted with coffee machines in the back. There were a lot of them. Very good idea!