Casablanca, Morocco
Coordinates: 33.607342, -7.632561
The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. It is second largest functioning mosque in Africa after Djamaa el Djazaïr in Algeri and is the 7th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world’s second tallest minaret at 210 metres.
Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau under the guidance of King Hassan II and built by Moroccan artisans from all over the kingdom.
The minaret is 60 stories (210m) 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.
Built by 15,000 workers and 6,000 hand-craftsmen, it can hold 100,000 worshippers—30,000 (25,000 men and boys + 5,000 women) in the main prayer room and 70,000 in the square outside. The minaret, 60 stories high, is the largest in the world. This mosque was built with $1,300,000,000 in donations from 400,000 foreigners.
Apart from the mosque, other structures in the area are a madrasa (Islamic school), hammams (bathhouses), a museum on Moroccan history, conference halls, and a very large library said to be the “most comprehensive in the Islamic world.
The 41 fountains in the courtyard are all well decorated. The garden around the mosque is well tended and is a popular location for family picnics.
The traditionally designed madrasa occupies an area of 4,840 square metres (52,100 sq ft) including the basement.
As you walk the large courtyard and enter the mosque you are amazed at the sheer vastness of the interior of the building .The motif is amazing. The giant columns and the ceiling are immense. It is Islamic architecture at its best
Know This
Tickets to a guided tours are sold by the entrance to the museum on far end of the square, (front of the mosque). The museum is also interesting to see if you have a time to spare to walk amongst the exhibits.
