Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque is the sight that defines Casablanca, and it deserves its reputation. Completed in 1993 to a design by the French architect Michel Pinseau, it stands on a platform that reaches out over the Atlantic, so that on a rough day the waves break almost beneath the prayer hall. Its minaret rises about 210 metres, among the tallest religious structures in the world, and at night a laser beam points from its summit toward Mecca. Inside, the scale is hard to take in: a hall that holds tens of thousands of worshippers, soaring carved cedar ceilings, marble floors, hand-cut zellige tile and plasterwork by thousands of Moroccan craftsmen, and a roof that can slide open to the sky. Parts of the floor are glass, so you can look down to the sea. Non-Muslims can enter only on a guided visit. The official schedule offers several morning departures and an afternoon tour, with a short break on Fridays, and the tour moves through the prayer hall, the minaret hall and the ablution hall with its marble basins. Many visitors book a ticket combined with a short city tour so that transport and the entry slot are handled together.

Understanding the building helps. King Hassan II commissioned the mosque in the 1980s and wanted it built partly on the water, citing a line from the Quran about the throne of God being upon the water. Construction drew on craftspeople from every region of the country, and the materials, from cedar of the Atlas to marble and granite, were largely Moroccan. The result is a rare modern monument built in the full tradition of Moroccan decorative arts. Beneath the prayer hall are the ablution halls and a hammam, and the vast esplanade outside is filled at dusk with families, photographers and children chasing pigeons.

Planning the visit: guided tours run on a fixed schedule from the official foundation, with morning departures and an afternoon departure, and the timetable shifts slightly between the winter and summer seasons and during Ramadan. Check the current times before you go. Dress rules are strict: shoulders, chest and legs below the knee must be covered, shorts and sleeveless tops are refused, and you remove your shoes at the entrance and carry them in a bag provided. Cameras are fine for stills but not video cameras, and you should keep quiet and stay with your group. Allow about an hour for the tour itself.

Getting there and making the most of it: the mosque sits on the seafront on the western edge of the old city, a short taxi ride from the centre. Arrive early to enjoy the esplanade, then take the tour, and finish with a walk along the sea wall to the old lighthouse side of town. The light is best in late afternoon, when the white and green of the minaret glow against the ocean. Combining the mosque with the old medina and the Corniche makes an easy half day, and on a clear evening the lit minaret is worth a second look from the seafront.