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

Ornately hand painted ceiling details.

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 

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

Introducing "Somewhere Sunday" a new weekly series featuring locations we've had the good fortune to visit before and between house sitting adventures.  We hope you'll join us each Sunday for the journey!  We begin our series with a trip to the exotic locale of Morocco.

Doors of the Grand Mosquee Hassan II 

The minaret is topped by a laser that shines
its light toward Mecca. 

This week's "Somewhere Sunday" takes us to Casablanca, Morocco to visit The Mosque Hassan II, the 7th largest mosque in the world.  Because it is so large, we'll work our way around the exterior of the mosque this week and return next Sunday for a tour of the interior.

King Hussan II wanted to build the 2nd largest mosque in the world to honor King Mohammed V but he had to settle for a mere seventh.  But the mosque does have the tallest minaret in the world.  At 690 feet, photographs just can't capture its towering presence. The mosque took 17 years to build with 35,000 people working an estimated 50 million hours. Designed by French architect Michel Pinseau it is a masterpiece of blended architectural styles featuring Moroccan, Islamic and Moorish design. The exterior of the mosque is faced in bronze, granite, titanium and intricate tile mosaics. One of King Hassan II's requirements for the structure was that it must be constructed half on land and half over the Atlantic ocean. Today, you can view the sea bed through the mosque's glass floor!