Above: The spectacularly floodlit Hassan II Mosque rises like a beacon
in the night
Unlike most Moroccan cities, Casablanca (Dar el-Beida) is modern. Most
visitors inevitably pass through "Casa", as Moroccans affectionately
call the city, and it is a delightful place to spend a day or two. The
souks are more hassle-free than most, it is easy to get around and there
is plenty of art deco and art nouveau architecture along the broad
boulevards. But don't come looking for the Casablanca of Humphrey Bogart
and Ingrid Bergman the film was shot entirely in Hollywood.
North Africa's largest port, Casablanca was built by the French and
modelled on Marseille. The city looks and feels very European, but in
places it even has a touch of Miami. Women are rarely veiled and beach
clubs are often throbbing with a cosmopolitan crowd.
The most obvious and only "real" monument in town is the gigantic Mosque
of Hassan II, finished in 1993. King Hassan II wanted to build a mosque
on the water, so the French architect Michel Pinseau designed the vast
complex on reclaimed land. Its 200m minaret, a beacon of Islam, is the
tallest in the country. Up to 25,000 worshippers can pray inside, some
kneeling on a glass floor that reveals the ocean below. The courtyard
can hold another 80.000. More than 2,500 of Morocco's master craftsmen
worked day and night on the mosque's decoration, and the enormous cost
of the building, an estimated £500 million, was financed purely by
donations.
Most of the grand colonial buildings, built in a French interpretation
of Moorish style, are grouped around place Mohammed V (formerly place des Nations Unies) and
boulevard
Mohammed V. where the Marche Central offers the country's best selection
of fruit and vegetables. At the end of boulevard Mohammed V is the
current place des Nations Unies (confusingly, the former place Mohammed
V) With cafe-terraces, the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the entrance
to the old medina and souks. The palm-lined boulevard Felix Houphouet
leads to the port. The French-built new medina, Quartier Habous, is
opposite the royal palace.
TAKING A BREAK
Oliveri (132 avenue Hassan II) is the most popular ice-cream parlour in
town. Cale terraces on place des Nations Unies an buzzing in the
afternoon. while several reasonably priced restaurants in the Marche
Central sell fresh fish snacks.
Casablanca by Numbers
It's the fourth largest city in Africa.
Its 4 million inhabitants represent about 10 per cent of Morocco's
total population.
With 60 per cent of the country's industry, Casa uses 30 per cent of
the electricity supply and phone lines.
Its inhabitants pay more than half of the nation's taxes.
The entrance gates of Hassan II Mosque surpass those of any mosque in
Morocco
Ý 182 C3
Ain Diab Beach
* 3km from the port
v 9
Hassan II Mosque
* boulevard de la Corniche
( (02)2302001
º 0bligatory guided tours
Sat-Thu 9, 10, 11, 2
I Expensive
Quartier Habous
* 1 km southwest of town
v 81
CASABLANCA: INSIDE INFO
Top tipsParc de la Ligue Arabe is a wonderful place to relax among the
palm trees and exotic flowers. • Locals hang out in the beach clubs on
Ain Diab beach.
One to miss Avoid going to the old medina at night; it can be dangerous.
