The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
On our first morning in Morocco we visited the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, one of the largest mosques in the world. We were looking forward to seeing the mosaics in Moroccan buildings, and we were not disappointed on this occasion – and it was only the very first morning of our two week tour.
Shown in the photo above is some of the detail of the floor mosaics. The designs were amazing, the artistry inspiring and the finish immaculate. I could have lingered for many hours just soaking in the brilliance of the artisans who created this magnificent building, but sadly, we were ushered along by our guide if we didn’t keep moving.
Despite the sacred nature of this building to the local Muslims there were few restrictions on us as visitors. Sure, we had to remove our shoes on entering which was something we expected. But as for taking photographs there was no hindrances to snapping away at whatever took our fancy.
I’ve already shared a few photos in recent posts here and have many more to show in the coming days.
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
One of the highlights of our visit to Morocco was a hour or so spent at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca on our first morning in the country. This enormous mosque is architecturally stunning, both in design and size. The photos do not do it justice, and one’s camera does a poor job of conveying the sheer magnificence and beauty of such a structure. Truly awe inspiring.
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
Mosaic detail on Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
One of the amazing aspects of our tour of Morocco late last year was the amazing mosaics – everywhere. If you want to appreciate the beauty of this form of architectural design and decoration, go to Morocco. You won’t be disappointed.
On our first full day of our two week tour we visited the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. This magnificent building abounds in the best examples of mosaic art work in the country. Today I feature just a few tastes of that beauty; more will be shown in coming days.
Mosaic detail on Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco
Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
On the first morning of our tour of Morocco we left our hotel in Casablanca early and within a few minutes’ drive we had arrived at the magnificent Hassan II Mosque. This is a truly amazing building in many ways:
- It is the 7th largest mosque in the world
- The minaret at 210 metres is the tallest in the world
- It is built out over the sea, which made it a challenging engineering project
- The mosaics and artistry are only two of its great attributes
In the coming days I will post many more photos of this truly amazing building.
Detail on the minaret of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
Some of our touring group near the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
Casablanca
No Comments »5th October, 2012; Category: Africa, Exotic Destinations, Holidays, Morocco, Trip report
Inside our hotel in Casablanca
After settling into our hotel in Casablanca, we went for a short pre-dinner walk despite the light drizzle. I just had to take the photos of the inside of the hotel before we left; the inner courtyard was delightful – our first taste of the mosaics so iconic of Morocco. In the coming days and weeks on this site I will be sharing many, many more photos of beautiful buildings and more, more, more mosaics. Stay tuned.
One of the attractions of coming to Morocco as a part of our itinerary was to visit exotic Casablanca. I guess I had an idealised vision of this city based on the romantic notions brought about by the classic movie of the same name. The movie’s depiction of this city is far removed from reality by time and modernisation. Down-town Casablanca is as modern as any city elsewhere in the world.
Some day I would like to return and explore this city in more detail than the few hours we spent there on this trip.
Inside our hotel in Casablanca
Inside our hotel in Casablanca