Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca was completed in 1993 after great expense and artistic labor, and the result is one of the largest and most beautiful mosques in the world. Its gleaming newness and tremendous wealth is a stark contrast against the rest of Casablanca.
History

The great Hassan II Mosque was commissioned by its namesake, King Hassan II, in part to provide Casablanca with a single landmark monument. On his birthday, July 9, 1980, the king declared:

I wish Casablanca to be endowed with a large, fine building of which it can be proud until the end of time... 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.

Designed by French architect Michel Pinseau, construction of the Hassan II Mosque began in July 1986 on land reclaimed (without compensation to the former residents) from a run-down area near the sea. The goal for completion of the mosque was King Hassan II's 60th birthday in 1989, but it ended up not being finished until August 30, 1993.

The project is estimated to have cost as much as $800 million, funds that were remarkably raised entirely from public subscription.

International reports have suggested both local resentment and less-than-voluntary donations to the project, but Moroccans seem to be genuinely proud of their monument and pictures of the mosque are displayed in homes and cafes throughout the country. The massive fundraising also had a positive side-effect: it temporarily reduced Morocco's money supply and brought down inflation.

Nearly all the materials of the Hassan II Mosque are from Morocco, with the sole exceptions of the imported white granite columns and glass chandeliers (from Murano, near Venice). The marble is from Agandir, the cedar wood is from the Middle Atlas and the granite comes from Tafraoute.

Over 6,000 Moroccan master craftsmen and artisans were employed to work these local materials into the dazzlingly intricate decorations that embellish the entire structure. When construction passed its deadline in the early 1990s, 1,400 men worked by day and 1,000 worked by night to bring the vast project to completion.
What to See

The Hassan II Mosque is open to all Muslims at daily prayer times and for special Friday services. Non-Muslim visitors may only enter the mosque on guided tours, which take place several times a day in English.

The most distinctive characteristic of the Hassan II Mosque is its spectacular location (see aerial view below) on a platform over the Atlantic Ocean. Uniquely, part of the mosque's floor is made of glass so worshippers can kneel directly over the sea. Unfortunately, this wonderful feature is mainly for royal use and is off-limits to visitors.

Above, an automated sliding roof opens (on special occasions) to the heavens. Thus the faithful of Casablanca can indeed contemplate God's sky and ocean in accordance with Hassan's wishes.

At 689 feet, the Great Mosque's minaret is the tallest structure in Morocco and the tallest minaret in the world. At night, lasers shine a beam from the top of the minaret toward Mecca, "to point the way to God." The building was designed to withstand earthquakes and has a heated floor and electric doors.

The style of the Hassan II Mosque displays strong Moorish influences, bringing to mind the Alhambra and Mezquita in Spain. Horseshoe arches prevail both outside and in, and the walls and columns of the interior are delicately carved in a variety of intricate patterns.

There is a huge women's gallery on the right as you face the prayer area, which is beautifully carved of dark wood. The prayer area in the back is spacious and carpeted in red. Downstairs are Turkish-style baths and fountains for washing.
Our Visit

The Sacred Destinations team stayed one night in Casablanca during our April 2007 Morocco trip, specifically to see the mosque (and secondarily the enjoyable Sacre-Coeur Cathedral). We aimed for the 11am guided tour on a Sunday (see Quick Facts, below).

We got a little lost on our way to the mosque. We had assumed it couldn't be too hard to just head for the tallest minaret in the world, but the streets really twist and turn and buildings often blocked our view. We ended up coming through a poor and dusty part of town, with no other foreigners in sight and piles of garbage everywhere.

The humble scene was a stark contrast to the gleaming marble mosque up ahead, as well as our digital cameras. But despite their poverty and our evident comparative wealth, no one approached us. Indeed, Casablanca was the only Moroccan city in which we were nearly always ignored - it was wonderful.

When we finally arrived, the abundance of cream-colored marble combined with the hot Moroccan sun was nearly blinding! The size, expense and artistry of the building were also extremely impressive, just as King Hassan II intended.

Our tour began in a downstairs area just outside the mosque, in a cool marble room with large and clean bathrooms. We bought our tickets from the counter (there's a small gift shop, too) then waited by a sign for the tour in English. When the tour began, we removed our shoes at the entrance to the mosque and were given plastic bags to carry them in.

The tour was excellent. It took about an hour and was led by a young woman who spoke excellent English. She pointed out all the notable features of the mosque, including where the speakers are cleverly hidden in the prayer area, and told some of its history. She made many jokes throughout - such as the need for shoe holders in each prayer rug to avoid searching through up to 50,000 pairs of shoes after prayer, and that Americans and Germans always want to know how much the mosque cost to build.
Quick Facts
Names: Hassan II Mosque; مسجد الحسن الثاني; Grand Mosquée Hassan II
Type of site: Mosque
Faith: Islam
Dates: 1986-93
Architecture: Modern, after traditional Moroccan style
Size: Accommodates 25,000 worshippers; minaret is 210 m (689 ft) tall
Records: Tallest mosque (because of the minaret) in the world; second largest mosque in the world after Mecca
Location: Casablanca, Morocco
Hours: Guided tours Sat-Thur: 9am, 10am, 11am, 2pm
Cost: 100dh; students 50dh