November 20, 2024
During our second visit to Casablanca, we were determined to see the interior of the Hassan II Mosque. Our first time in Morocco was on April 16, 2023, during our World Cruise, but our tour allowed only an exterior view of the Mosque. This time, we took the excursion “Hassan II Mosque and Casablanca Sights (Marrakesh),” which was five hours long.
Our guide fast-tracked us past the long lines. We felt transported to another world as soon as we entered the vast 22 acre complex, nestled between the harbor and El Hank Lighthouse, with marble, limestone and tile paving extending before us endlessly. The mosque and its 689 foot minaret loomed above us, glistening in the sun. The exterior of the mosque is adorned with titanium, bronze, granite, blue marble, and Zellige tile work.
We gawked at the beauty and vastness as our guide explained the metaphysical symbolism of how the grounds and buildings were laid out. We were enthralled about what went into the building of the second largest mosque in Africa, considered the highest religious building in the world. It has a 30 km laser directed toward Mecca, and stands on a promontory overlooking the Atlantic so that worshippers can actually pray over the sea.
As we approached the entrance, we delighted in the colorful dress of Muslim African women visiting the mosque in groups.
Just inside the entrance, as we took off our shoes and were given recyclable bags to carry the shoes with us. As we entered the mosque, craning our necks in every direction, we were breathtaken by its vastness and beauty. The mosque has walls of handcrafted marble, a retractable roof, and windows in the floor that look down into fountains below. (There was no water.) The mosque accommodates 25,000 worshippers inside and an additional 80,000 on the exterior, for a total of 105,000.
Started in 1986 and completed in 1993, the mosque took 6,000 artisans and 35,000 workers five years and over 50 million hours of manpower. The interior hall is breathtaking with chandeliers, horseshoe arches, muqarnas (3D decorations with overlapping tiers, characters of Islamic design), mosaics, stone and marble floors and columns, sculpted moldings, and wood ceilings that are beautifully carved and painted.
The grounds also include an Islamic school, bathhouses, a museum on Moroccan history, conference halls, and what may be the most comprehensive library in the Islamic world.
After an extensive tour of the mosque, our bus stopped at a small cafe on the Atlantic for Moroccan cookies and tea. From there, we had a beautiful view of the El Hank lighthouse.
Our next stop was the Church of the Notre Dame of Lourdes, but it was actually closed, so we could not go inside. Our guide said that the church was built in the Brutalism style.
A statue of Mary in a grotto on the grounds of Church of the Notre Dame of Lourdes.
Next was a stop at the Royal Palace, with beautiful views of the city. We were allowed only in certain areas of the exterior.
Finally, we were taken to the Great Habous Olive Market in the New Medina in the Habous Quarter (built by the French in 1916). It was a feast for the senses.
Our tour bus included drives through wealthy sections of town, as well as Embassy Row. If you didn’t know you were in Africa, you might think many of the homes and gardens were plucked from the Florida wealthy beach-side neighborhoods north of Miami.
If you ever have a chance to take a cruise that includes Morocco, no matter how tired you may be of seeing basilicas, churches and mosques, you need to be sure that you take time for an interior tour of the Hassan II Mosque with a knowledgeable guide. It is an indescribable experience. We also recommend that you take time to see the Medina and Habous Quarters. They are quintessical Morocco.
That evening and the next day, we cruised the Strait of Gibraltar, getting up early in the morning for glimpses of the Rock of Gibraltar to the north, and the glistening lights of Casablanca to our south, only 8.9 miles apart.
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