When planning for our biannual trip to Kenya, we look for long layovers to include a day trip in a random city around the world. The first time was Istanbul, Turkey. This time, though not as long, we chose Casablanca, Morocco. It was only a six hour layover, but plenty of time to get out for a moment before the plane left for the states. With the clock ticking, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the third largest mosque in the world — the Hassan II Mosque.
It took a moment to get started. English isn’t as common in Morocco and making sure our driver understood we were on a time schedule was a bit challenging. He got it, though, and offered to be our driver for those six hours for a flat rate. After nearly an hour of driving, we made it to the mosque.
Our driver offered to keep our bags at the car and wait while we visited the mosque. It’s funny how in those moments, you think about all the horror stories you read about tourists being duped, their luggage disappearing with a trusting guide, and find yourself having to make a decision on the spot. Nduku opted out. She’d rather know for sure she would return with all her luggage. I had a feeling I’d be dragging my luggage and Nduku’s and Najwa’s so I left mine with the car, including a lot of camera equipment worth more than what we agreed to pay him.
The Hassan II Mosque is the largest mosque in Africa, and the 3rd largest in the world. Its minaret is the world’s second tallest minaret at 689 feet. Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau and built by Bouygues. The minaret is 60 stories high topped by a laser, the light from which is directed towards Mecca. The mosque stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic Ocean; worshippers can pray over the sea but there is no glass floor looking into the sea. The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque’s outside ground.
We took a guided tour and fortunately, they held the luggage at the desk while we were inside.
The mosque is truly huge. And ornate. And has a rich history. Unlike other mosques, this one doesn’t have a dome, but it does have a retractable roof. It’s a blend of Islamic architecture and Moroccan elements, and reflects Moorish influences, while featuring an urban design.
It displays elements found in other Moroccan buildings such as the unfinished mosque in Rabat and the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh. There are features from an old Roman fort converted into the tomb of King Mohammed V of Rabat. Other elements come from the Tour Hassan Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, the Great Mosque of Madina, Kairouan Mosque in Tunisia, the Great Mosque of Damascus, the Great Mosque of Cordoba, Quarawiyyin Mosque in Morocco, the Great Mosque of Tlemcen, and Djamaa el Kebir.
Its layout is known as the basilican plan, which is different from the common practice of a T-shaped plan adopted in many North African countries. The qibla wall is perpendicular to the naves which is said to be an unconventional layout, given that it is customary for the rows of worshipers facing Mecca to be as wide as possible rather than extend farther back. The adoption of this plan has been described as “a conflict between King Hassan II the ancient aristocrat and King Hassan II the contemporary leader who must develop commerce and industry in order meet the needs of his country.”
After a couple of hours, we had a little time to spare. Our driver insisted on taking us to the Morocco Mall. We were good with grabbing a bite at a local restaurant on the way back to the airport, but he insisted. At first I thought there was a communication error. The mall wasn’t that close to the mosque, relative to the fact that we were on an unforgiving time schedule and still an hour’s drive away from the airport.
But when we got there, I think I got it. He wanted to show that Morocco was more than just a giant mosque. This was one more the more luxurious, very Western, very high end malls I’ve visited outside of the U.S. and Dubai. All the more impressive since I wasn’t expecting this in Morocco.
There’s in door aquarium. An IMAX. A bunch of recognizable stores. I had Pizza Hut for lunch; Nduku and Najwa went local. We sat with a view of the ocean. We didn’t have a bunch of time to really explore it, but it did leave an impression.
It took a moment to find our driver in the mosh pit of traffic outside the mall, Nduku a bit concerned since she finally decided to trust him and leave her luggage as well, but we found him, made it to the airport on time, and headed back home. It’s these short day trips that make the entire vacation even better.
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