Hassan II Mosque

My travel to Devoxx Morocco did not originally include any Moroccan tourism, but after multiple people said the Grand Mosque was a must-see, I scheduled a stopover in Casablanca to see it: though I’m not religious, trips to Europe always include cathedrals, basilicas, and churches for their incredible architecture, the Grand Mosque would fit right in.

I knew nothing of the Grand Mosque before doing some online research, which does not do it justice: in-person, the mosque is impressive and absolutely stunning.

Location

The mosque is located on North Atlantic coast in Casablanca, for reasons explained differently but both based on Islam:

• my tour guide said the Quran (Koran) talks about the importance of a mosque being connected to water;
• the official mosque web site quotes King Hassan II: I want to build this mosque on the water, because God’s throne is on the water.

The nearness to the ocean present construction challenges: the mosque is partially built upon reclaimed land and building materials must be appropriate for the salt in the air. For example the doors are built out of titanium to withstand corrosion.

Despite extensive planning for the unique location, within ten years of its completion major restoration work was required.

My Visit

Before leaving the states, I purchased a ticket for a guided tour for approximately $35, which included pick-up/drop-off from my hotel (though limited to hotels within Casablanca proper). Though I believe you can visit the mosque unescorted, I recommended a guided tour if it fits your schedule: my tour guide was knowledgeable and funny, and provided more background and context than just reading online.

My driver stopped on Rue de Tiznit and left me and the two other passengers near the Hassan II Mosque Museum, where you purchase tickets for tours given by the Mosque foundation itself. I did not visit the museum.

Grounds and Exteriors

From the drop-off point, you walk through an arched gate which leads to wide avenue, which is where I met my tour group. As we walk towards the mosque itself, the guide did his opening remarks about the mosque. After about 500 yards, the avenue opens up into a grand courtyard.

The avenue and courtyard shows an impressive design of marble and other natural stone laid out on all sides of the mosque itself. Besides impressing visitors, it also accommodates 80,000 worshippers who could not get inside the mosque during major religious events.

The mosque exteriors are composed of marble, limestone, tile, and other materials and is impressive architecturally, definitely impressing you before you even enter the mosque. The guide said that Moorish architecture dominates, though other styles and even religions are represented in the design.

The msoque’s minaret is 210m/690ft high and is also wonderfully designed, and is the tallest structure in the country.

Prayer Hall

You enter the mosque via the doors on the far left, nearest the ocean, which leads you to the back of the prayer hall. Street shoes cannot be worn inside the mosque, so as you enter you are provided slippers to wear and a plastic bag to carry your shoes.

The guide’s experience means he knows that visitors need to take in all – the size, beauty, ornate-ness, and overall grandeur of the mosque – so he says nothing for a few minutes to let your eyes roam.

The guide starts to walk towards the front of the prayer hall, providing many interesting facts and answering questions.

The mosque was built in six years at an unknown cost, different sources estimate the total cost from $500m to almost $900m. Individual Moroccans could contribute to the building costs and received a certificate confirming their contribution. My guide’s father donated approximately $30, $5 per family member, and the guide remembers the certificate on the wall.

As part of the construction of the mosque, a school for training artists with the skills needed to build the mosque. The school still exists, as the King wanted to maintain the skills used for other projects throughout Morocco.

The prayer hall accommodates 20K men on the floor of the prayer hall, and 5K women on the elevated level on either side. Other than the King, who has a dedicated path down the middle, it’s first-come/first-service to worship. Any Muslim may join prayers, and approximately 500 worshippers pray on a regular/normal day; it fills quickly for major religious events. The King typically visits twice per year, though after the recent earthquake an expected visit was skipped in lieu of visiting affected areas.

All construction materials are from Morocco except the chandeliers (Italy) and speakers (likely China). The location next to the ocean provided both challenges and advantages: the metal doors are made of titanium to avoid oxidation; the roof and side doors can be opened to allow fresh air to circulate through the mosque to keep the inside temperatures comfortable.

Ablution Fountains

Below the main prayer hall is the area where Muslims ritually cleanse themselves before prayers. Our guide showed us the steps involved, which seemed fairly convoluted (though, I guess, if you’ve done them since childhood) and said it takes roughly 50 seconds to complete.

The room has dozen of ornate fountains with a mushroom-shaped design with 30 (lilac?) leaves for number of days in the month, and 360 columns for (approximate) number of days in a year. Scores of individual fountains spanned the room and looked like it could handle a large volume of people.

Other Information

The tour guide was a wealth of information:

• The man who calls worshippers to prayers, the imam, and the person who delivers the speech are university educated and are employees of the state;
• the mosque has no central heating or air conditioning due to mosque’s size and number of people (though other sources say otherwise);
• individuals don’t bring their own prayer carpet as the mosque lays large prayer carpets for all;
• the term Berber comes from the ancient Greeks and essentially means one who isn’t Greek;
• he explained how Madras schools work.

Planning Your Visit

The mosque is open to the general public except during prayers. Supposedly, all visitors must join organized tours; that said, at least one online resource says otherwise, and I did see at least one unescorted visitor.

The instructions I received stated that both men and women must be respectfully dressed to enter the mosque, and that women should bring a scarf to cover their hair. That said, many people – both Moroccan and tourists – were not abiding by these rules and no one seemed to care. My overall impression is that Morocco is not militant about their Islam and are very accepting.

In general the mosque is handicap accessible, with easy access to the courtyard and the prayer hall.

All pictures © 2023 Scott Christopher Sosna