Casablanca, Morocco

The highlight of our Casablanca tour was our rainy morning visit to Hassan II Mosque, the 7th largest and one of the tallest mosques in the world. Words nor photos cannot describe how beautiful this mosque is. It’s beautiful minaret is the 2nd tallest in the world at 689 feet and is topped by a laser, the light from which is directed towards Mecca; the mosque cost $800M to build. Over 10,000 artisans worked on this mosque. It stands on a promontory overlooking the ocean. The walls are hand-crafted of marble, and it has a retractable roof. Twice a year over 100,000 worshippers come to this mosque.

After this visit, we drove by the beautiful beach area and then through the ‘Beverly Hills’ of Casablanca with it’s beautiful homes. We visited a Catholic church with it’s beautiful stained-glass windows – Church of Notre Dame of Lourdes. We saw an unusual altar where the statue of Mary was bigger than the Jesus statue. Our guide told us that there is religious tolerance/freedom in Morocco. We heard the same from guides of other Muslim countries, as well. However, in Morocco – a country of 37M people – only 30,000 Catholics remain, and there are left less than 3,000 Jews. The Flag of Morocco pays homage to the 5 Pillars of Islam.

We then stopped by Royal Palace. We were not allowed entrance. We visited the medina and bought some items, including argan oil and a pretty magic lamp. Carpets, Djebellas, and other items were for sale.

We ended our tour in the United Nations Square. We had lunch at Les Fleurs, a busy restaurant. We ordered Taginee (fish for Cathy, chicken for me) cooked with spices and served in cone-shaped cone pot and bread.Read more