Our last day in Casablanca, Morocco - King Hassan II Mosque and Rick's Cafe

-

 It was so hard to believe that our whirlwind tour of Morocco was over. One more day, that was it, and then the long trip home. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and take the time to enjoy the beautiful sunny day we had in Casablanca. We had to leave Marrakech promptly in order to get to Casablanca for our tour of King Hassan II Mosque, the only active mosque non-Muslims can visit in Morocco. 


It is the largest active mosque in Africa and has a total capacity of 105,000 people, 25,000 inside and 80,000 in the outside areas. Construction began in 1986 and was completed in 1993, which is incredible given the size and the craftsmanship. It's on the sea and the exterior views are almost as beautiful as the interior. As we entered, we removed our shoes, and you could hear the collective gasps from our group as we looked around, above and below. There are so many facts and figures, and you can look them up (plus more information) on the mosque's website The Hassan II Mosque Foundation of Casablanca | - Hassan Mosque 2 (fmh2.ma); I was just in awe. The mosque was built by donations, large and small, from Moroccans as well as Arab countries. There was a period of time when craftsmen and builders were working 24 hours a day to complete the construction. The pace of our visit was quick but didn't feel rushed like some of our other stops; it felt like we had plenty of time to look, take photos and appreciate the experience. 



The retractable roof



The architectural style draws on Andalusian, Moorish, Islamic influences. There is symbolism in the materials used as well as the designs. 



This is the room where the men perform their ablutions before going to prayer. There are enough sinks and faucets for probably over a 100 people at a time to wash. 





There is a laser coming out of the minaret, pointing towards Mecca, but you can't really see it in this photo.

Our last night out was a dinner at Rick's Cafe based on Humphrey Bogart's hang out in Casablanca. The movie is run on a loop and there is a roulette wheel and movie posters and memorabilia on the walls. The food was delicious; honestly, though, our meals throughout were pretty spectacular. It was a wonderful way to end our visit.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Barcelona - the first two days

-
Day two of Mr. Magoo Does Europe, and it's been pretty awesome so far. But one of these days, I am going to get where I'm going on the first or second try. Maybe even the third. Honestly though, I'm so used to it, I don't even know what I would do if it happened. I walked around Barcelona yesterday, just trying to get my bearings (insert belly laugh), but I did eat some pretty amazing food, like chocolate filled churro (omg), and seafood paella, which I'm not sure how authentic it was, but I liked it; and I got in over 17,000 steps, not bad for getting here around noon and taking a siesta later in the day. Today was my big day, meaning I got up at 7:00 am to take a three country tour that lasted until 7:30 in the evening. For me the focus was getting to Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees surrounded by Spain and France, and in fact, co-ruled by the two countries. First stop was Baga, in Spain, where I had the most delicious chocolate filled pastry that was was n...
Read more

A little more of Paris Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tour

-
Image
Have I mentioned it was hot in Paris? Have I mentioned, since we're friends, that I sweated in places I didn't know could sweat? I didn't know my knuckles could sweat, yet they did. Aside from the heat, which was a dry heat, so, you know, hot, but not humid, I really enjoyed my time in Paris, but I did feel rushed, my three days weren't enough. I did not consume nearly enough delicious croissants or other pastries, or crepes...oh, I could go on. My one set thing I really had to do, stop me if I told you already, but I wanted to climb to the top of Notre Dame; in fact, I trained for it. I booked a tour of Ile de Cite and Notre Dame so I could ensure getting the chance without spending hours in line. It was totally worth it; the guide for the tour was excellent, actually an Englishman, with a great background in medieval French history and iconography, and full of fabulous information about France through the centuries. We went into Notre Dame, which is magnificent, and l...
Read more

All aboard to Marrakech

-
Image
 I will spare you all the details of the seemingly endless drive from Fes to Marrakech; I don’t mind long drives, I mean the drive from Apple Valley to South Dakota is long and mostly boring, but this was interminable. Nothing to be done about it, however, and we did get a distant glimpse to the High Atlas Mountains and experienced quite a number of service station facilities. We finally arrived in Marrakech in time for dinner and an early night for me. It was another full day of experiencing a centuries old city in less than 24 hours; sensory overload would be the theme of this trip - the pictures don’t do it justice because you don’t get the sounds, the smells and even the feel of the thousand year old stones under your feet, but I’m trying. We met our local guide Abdullah who was like a walking fortune cookie, he had aphorisms for every situation, a great sense of humor and history and the coolest accent. Our first stop was the Koutubia Mosque, built in the 12th century, and it’...
Read more