Saturday, February 2, 2013

Casablanca (Part II) - A "Somewhere Sunday" Post



This week for "Somewhere Sunday" we return to the Mosque Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco for an interior tour.

We mentioned last week that the Mosque Hassan II was only the 7th largest in the world but its stats are still quite impressive. The interior prayer hall measures 660' x 3300' and can accommodate 25,000 people. Equally amazing is that it was built with a retractable roof! 

One request of Hassan II was that, as much as possible, materials utilized in the mosque be sourced from Morocco.  As such, much of the marble is from Agadir, the cedar wood used in the ceilings is from the Atlas Mountains and the granite comes from Tafroute.  An exception was the importation of huge glass chandeliers from Murano, Italy.  Altogether, 6000 artisans worked for 5 years to create the tile mosaics, carved wooden ceilings, stone and marble floors and columns, and the intricately sculpted plaster moldings.



Prayer Hall


close up details of hand carved and painted ceiling at the Mosque Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco
Ornately hand painted ceiling details.




close up details of hand carved and painted ceiling at the Mosque Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco
Intricately carved cedar wood ceiling.





Sculpted plaster moldings adorn the mosque's walls and arches.




Granite and marble were sourced from the seaside town of Agadir



Details of Zellige work 



An interlocking geometric and floral pattern covers the floor



Glass chandeliers from Murano, Italy



Gated doors  into the prayer hall 





11 comments:

  1. I've been looking forward to Part 2 and you did not disappoint - very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so agree with another Carol above! I am curious if you and partner are both journalists

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Kalantikan! No, we're not journalists - but thanks for the compliment. We're so glad that you've stopped by the site and enjoyed the posts!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The efficient kitchen has adequate storage, ample counter space and is arranged to save the home-maker unnecessary steps. Modren kitchen design

    ReplyDelete
  5. Combination coffee-and-espresso makers come in many forms, from manual to automatic, but they all have the versatility to make multiple kinds of drinks. A handful of options (including ones on this list) can brew drip coffee, pull a shot of espresso, and even froth milk for lattes and cappuccinos best coffee on amazon

    ReplyDelete
  6. It certainly pays to invest some energy ensuring that you and your tiler both concur on precisely what the employment involves. The tallness of the tiles, any examples to be utilized, where the trim will go and what shading additionally the shade of the grout and silicone. A little correspondence currently can save a ton of contention later. Which shading tile is going in which room? In the event that the tiler is getting tiles for you, do they have the right ones? This is significant in light of the fact that when the tiles are fixed and the tile cement is set the tiles can't be eliminated in one piece.tiler dublin

    ReplyDelete
  7. Home Improvement product store in Long Island, New York Long Island home decor

    ReplyDelete
  8. Search for instagram users and get their User ID Find Instagram User ID

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ev eşyası depolama firması olarak, depo alanlarımızın tamamı son sistem teknoloji ve uzman özel güvenlik personelleri tarafından koruma altındadır. eşya depolama

    ReplyDelete
  10. Simply appreciating your work and thinking about how you dealt with this blog so well. It's striking to such an extent that I can't stand to not experience this important data at whatever point I surf the web! 集客代行サービス

    ReplyDelete
  11. You've completed in excellent work. t suggest to my frtends ind personilly wtll certitnly dtgtt. t'm conftdent they'll be gitned from thts webstte. white house market link

    ReplyDelete