Casablanca: Morocco's Bustling Commercial Powerhouse

Rising dramatically along Morocco's Atlantic coast, Casablanca stands as the undisputed economic heart of the kingdom—a sprawling metropolis of over five million inhabitants that represents the nation's most cosmopolitan and forward-looking face. Unlike Morocco's ancient imperial cities with their medieval medinas and centuries-old monuments, Casablanca ("Casa" to locals) is predominantly a creation of the 20th century, evolving from a small Berber fishing settlement into a dynamic commercial hub that drives the country's economic development. This relatively recent transformation has created a cityscape defined by striking contrasts, where gleaming skyscrapers and ultra-modern commercial centers exist alongside traditional markets and working-class neighborhoods, all infused with a distinctive energy that sets Casablanca apart from any other Moroccan destination.

The origins of modern Casablanca trace back to the early 20th century when French colonial authorities selected the natural harbor for development into Morocco's primary commercial port. Under Resident-General Hubert Lyautey's direction, French architects and urban planners transformed the modest settlement into a showcase of early 20th-century urban design. The resulting city center, with its elegant white buildings combining Art Deco, Neo-Moorish, and Modernist styles, creates one of North Africa's most distinctive architectural ensembles. Buildings like the Cinema Rialto, Hotel Lincoln, and numerous apartment blocks around Place Mohammed V (the administrative heart of the city) display ornate façades that blend European structural elements with Moroccan decorative motifs—a style sometimes called "Mauresque" that came to define Casablanca's golden age of development between the 1920s and 1950s.

Dominating Casablanca's coastline and spiritual life is the magnificent Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world and an architectural masterpiece that has become the city's defining landmark. Completed in 1993 after seven years of construction involving 10,000 artisans, this monumental structure showcases the finest Moroccan craftsmanship on an unprecedented scale. The mosque's 210-meter minaret—the world's tallest—serves as a technological marvel containing a laser directed toward Mecca. Unlike most Moroccan religious buildings, the Hassan II Mosque welcomes non-Muslim visitors on guided tours, allowing them to appreciate its extraordinary features including a prayer hall that can accommodate 25,000 worshippers, handcrafted marble floors, titanium and bronze doors, and cedar ceilings adorned with intricate painted and carved embellishments. Perhaps most dramatically, a section of the prayer hall floor is transparent glass, revealing the Atlantic Ocean below—manifesting King Hassan II's vision of creating a mosque that would allow worshippers to "pray on land while contemplating the sea."