Sightseeing OverviewAs an
essentially commercial city rather than an overt holiday destination, Casablanca has very
few specific tourist attractions. The appeal, rather, is the overall ambience of the place and the counter-pointing of
stridently modern buildings with vestiges of the
French colonial days, much of it set on broad and pleasant avenues that make
walking a delight.
Glorious examples of
art deco and
Moroccan revivalist (‘
Mauresque’)
architecture can be seen at every turn, while a host of
pavement cafés beckon visitors
to stop awhile, take a cup of
strong Arabic coffee, sweet
mint or strong
gunpowder tea and watch the world go by.
Many
fine public buildings, built between 1916 and 1937, are grouped around the huge
Place Mohammed V (formerly
Place des Nations Allies). Outstanding among them are the
General Post Office, Préfecture, Palais de Justice law courts and the
French Consulate. Over it all towers an
impressive 50m (164ft)
campanile (
bell tower).
The bustling activities of the
port make a
fine backdrop to a city that interlaces the spaces between its
broad boulevards with a
maze of backstreets, and if you want to escape the bustle and grime there is the
popular beach suburb of
Aïn Diab within 30-minute’s walk, and several
hammams in which to relax and get pampered.
Tourist InformationSyndicat d’Initiative98 boulevard Mohammed V
Tel: (022) 221 524.
ONMT Délégation Générale du Tourisme55 rue Omar Slaoui.
Tel: (022) 271 177.
Website:
www.visitcasablanca.ma or www.casablanca.ma Other useful websites for tourism in Morocco include:
www.tourisme.gov.ma,
www.tourism-in-Morocco.com, which details tourist activities and attractions;
www.lexicorient.com/morocco, for general information, maps and links; and
www.morocco.com a directory of useful Moroccan websites.
PassesThere are no special tourist discount passes available for sightseeing in Casablanca at present.
Key Attractions:Hassan II MosqueAccommodating 2,500 worshippers inside and another 80,000 in its courtyard, this is a truly monumental complex right next to the sea. It covers a site of 9 hectares (22 acres), making it the world’s second largest religious building after the main Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca. Commenced in 1980 and opened in 1993, but not set to be fully finished for several decades yet, it has been the inspired work of French architect Michel Pineau and some 35,000 Moroccan craftsmen. The amazingly ornate minaret is the world’s tallest, standing 200m (656ft) high while two laser beams reach 30km (18.5 miles) towards Mecca. The vast prayer hall even has a sliding roof that can be open to the heavens.
Boulevard Sour Djedid at boulevard Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah
Free admission. There are hour-long guided tours of the mosque throughout the day for male non-Muslim visitors.
Casablanca Twin CenterA strident piece of contemporary architecture by Spain’s Ricardo Bofil Levi and Elie Mouval, this twin-tower complex, soaring 100m (328ft) skywards, contains offices, shopping malls and a state of the art conference center. It is seen as an evocation of the city’s commercial vibrancy.
Boulevard Zerktouni at boulevard El-Massira
Free admission.
The MedinasThese are the great new traditionally styled living spaces that sprang up as the city expanded rapidly in the early 20th century. Two of the gates of the old town walls still survive in the
Old Medina, whose attractions include an 18th-century fortress, a jewelry market and the tomb of Sidi Allal el-Kairouani, who became the city’s patron saint in 1350.
The
New Medina, also known as the Quartier Habous, was created in the 1930s in traditional Arabic style and has pleasant flower-bedecked and arcaded streets. Ornately carved stucco makes the nearby palace
Mahakma du Pacha,
a triumph of Arabic decoration.
Old Medina: Between boulevard des Almohades and place Mohammed V
New Medina: Close to boulevard Victor Hugo
Free admission.
Musée du Judaïsme Marocain (The Jewish Museum)Set 5km (3 miles) from the city center, in the suburb of Oasis, this is a truly unique attraction because it is not only Casablanca’s only museum, but it is also the only Jewish museum to be found in any Muslim country anywhere in the world. Set in a modern and well-maintained building are collections of religious books, costumes, sacramental artifacts and other items reflecting the role that the today 5,000-strong Jewish community has had and continues to play in Morocco. When fundamentalist bombers killed 45 people in attacks on mostly Jewish properties and businesses in 2003 it sparked the country’s biggest ever protest demonstration, marching under the banner ‘Jews and Muslims, we are all citizens, we are all Moroccans.’
81 rue Chasseur Jules Gros, Casablanca Oasis
Tel: (022) 994 940.
Website:
www.casajewishmuseum.com Admission charge.
Place Mohammed V (formerly Place des Nations Allies)Laid out as the Place de France in 1920, then renamed as Place des Nations Allies after WWII, then again to Place Mohammed V, this imposing square is undisputedly the heart of the city. Its arcades are lined with bustling cafés and tacky souvenir shops while the impressive clocktower keeps time over the hustle and bustle. Running off the square towards the busy port is the shop- and restaurant-lined boulevard Houphouët Boigny, at whose end stands a memorial to Sidi Belyout, the city’s present patron saint.
Place Mohammed V, city center
Free admission.
Further Distractions:Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart Cathedral)Set on the edge of the Parc de la Ligue Arable, the city’s largest park, this is one of several fine Christian places of worship that have survived since the end of the days of the French protectorate in 1956. Though European in style, this ornate edifice employs many Moroccan motifs. No longer used as a place of worship, its interior has been sadly neglected but is now undergoing restoration by the Moroccan government.Another Christian site worth seeing is the still-used Church of Notre Dame of Lourdes, with its outstanding stained glass (on Avenue Zerktouni, by the Ronde de L’Europe roundabout).
Parc de la Ligue Arabe
Rialto CinemaStill functioning as a movie house, this landmark is a diminutive and gaudily painted art deco delight both inside and out.
Corner of rue Mohammed el Quorri and rue Salah Ben Bouchaib
Tel: (022) 262 632.
Hammams
One experience not to be missed is a visit to a public
hammam, which is similar to a Turkish bath. Most districts have several, or you can head for the pricey but gloriously self-indulgent new
Hammam Zaki. Alternatives also to be found on the Institute de Beauté website (
www.beautyfarmhotel.net/af/institutdebeaute_casablanca.htm) include
Institut Zinabel and
Votre Beauté.
Hammam Zaki
25 rue Abou Assalt el-Andaloussi, Maarif
Tel: (022) 991 308.
Les Bains Ziani
Rue Abdou Rakrak
Tel: (022) 319 695.
Website:
www.hammamziani.ma
Institut Zinabel
211 boulevard Mohammed Zerktouni
Tel: (022) 942 639.
Votre Beauté
77 rue du Gharb
Tel: (022) 817 890.
Bain Turc Moderne
133 rue Abiou ibn Saïd
Tel: (022) 259 794.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
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