The Hassan II Mosque or Grande Mosque Hassan II is the biggest in Morocco. It is additionally the seventh biggest mosque in the world. This lavish mosque worked at a considerable cost, is determined to be an outcrop sticking over the sea with a tall minaret that is a city milestone.
It’s a feature of the best Moroccan artisanship: hand-cut stone and wood, unpredictable marble deck and trim, plated cedar roofs, and choice Zellige (mathematical mosaic tilework) proliferate. There are just two mosques in Morocco that allow visiting for non-Muslims. Multilanguage tours are available in these two mosques, and Hassan II mosque is one of them. This place is not only a holy spot but also is a historical center of Casablanca. Let’s check it more.
Geography and Location
Casablanca is like any cutting edge creating a modern city, simply inadequate regarding the enormous high rises and refreshed framework. It is the biggest city in Morocco and strategically placed close to the Atlantic Ocean, making it an important transportation port. With its closeness to Europe and simple admittance to the remainder of Africa, it is an ideal stop for some global explorers before they proceed with their excursion.
The city offers a wide assortment of activities, including miles of public seashores and the biggest shopping center in Africa. Although these are engaging attractions, the most enrapturing and persuading motivation to visit Casablanca is the Hassan II Mosque. It lasts about 15 minutes to get there by taxi.
History of Hassan II Mosque
The Hassan II Mosque is the biggest in Africa. It can hold more than 105,000 people – 25,000 inside and others in the yard. King Hassan II ordered the building and funding of this fantastic mosque (the leftover assets were assembled through, to some degree, disputable public membership measures and taxes). The task is assessed to have cost as much as $800 million.
Michel Pinseau was the head designer of this mosque. It took about six years to build, and the structure was finished on August thirtieth, 1993, the night before prophet Muhammad’s birthday. In a discourse on July ninth, 1980, Ruler Hassan II expressed that he needed to assemble this mosque on the water since God’s seat was on the water due to the holy Quran.
He needed to show that this spot of worship has assumed a significant part in the advancement of real design workmanship and the safeguarding of the civilizational legacy, particularly since the Hassan II mosque mirrors the incredible abilities of the Moroccan craftsmen. On the other hand, King Hassan II wanted to highlight his rule in the Islamic art era and made his name unforgettable during history.
Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
Structure and Architecture
The structure measurements are 200 meters (660 ft) long and 100 meters (330 ft) in width. The entirety of the stone, mortar, marble, wood, and different materials utilized in the development, were separated from around Morocco, except for some Italian white rock sections and 56 glass ceiling fixtures.
Six thousand native Moroccan craftsmen labored for a long time to make the plentiful and excellent mosaics, stone and marble floors and sections, and cut and painted wood roofs. The outside surfaces of the mosque show titanium, bronze, and stone finishes. It is ornamented with light blue marble and Zellige tilework. A specific component in the mosque is that all constructions are made of built-up concrete, and all enhancements are of customary Moroccan plan.
Hassan II Mosque is a symbol of a great relationship between a king and his people. The development work included the commitment of 35,000 laborers and working of more than fifty million hours. Many Moroccan people voluntarily answered their king’s call to participate in construction. They worked hard and tried to finish it at the same planned deadline, but they couldn’t finish it on time. When development passed its cutoff time in the mid-1990s, more than a thousand men worked by day, and a thousand worked around nighttime to carry the immense task to consummation.
Working on hot days of summer just beside the ocean with hot weather and high humidity was hard, but the location was chosen by a tool. Muslims who go there to pray, to laud the maker on firm soil, can think about God’s sky and sea. This double connection between water and land is really clear in certain territories of the mosque that have glass floors permitting worshippers to ask straightforwardly and view the sea. Hassan mosque is sufficiently enormous to be noticeable from airplane lodges when landing or taking off at Casablanca air terminal.
Prayer Hall
The supplication lobby is on the ground floor. The focal lobby gives astounding submerged perspectives on the Atlantic Ocean. The embellishments in the lobby are intricate and perfectly made conceivable by including 6000 expert craftsmen of Morocco dealing with it.
It is enormous to the point that it can undoubtedly oblige the place of the Notre Dame of Paris or St Peter’s of Rome. All other things, including the Zellige works or woodcarvings, are made in a high level of art and quality.
Minaret
At 210 meters (690 ft) in stature, the minaret is the second tallest minaret on the planet. It has a laser shaft fitted at the top, which is electronically worked at night. It is arranged towards Mecca, across the ocean. This minaret gives an excellent view of the boulevard, which ends with the mosque.
The minaret shapes in squares and rises toward the sky. The base to the top width proportion of 1 to 8 (between the cellar and the culmination) has a marble covering on the outside with grim enhancement. The essences of the veneer have cut ornamentation with various materials.
As mentioned above, the minaret was designed by inspiring and important expressions from the holy Quran expressing that “the throne of Allah is based on water.” [Hud, 11:7] Therefore, Michel Pinseau designs it straightforwardly on the Atlantic Ocean ashore recovered (without pay to the previous inhabitants) from an overview territory close to the ocean.
Gallery and Bathroom
There is a big “ladies gallery” on the right as you face the petition zone, which is flawlessly cut of dark brown wood. The supplication region in the back is extensive and covered in red. Ground floors are Turkish-style showers and wellsprings for washing. For years, the Moroccan governments decided to update the mosque. Present-day highlights incorporate warmed floors, a retractable rooftop opened during ideal climate and electric entryways.
Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
Visiting for Non-Muslims
Non-Muslims should join a gathering visit (a few visits are offered for the duration of the day, yet times change contingent upon the supplication timetable) and dress consciously to access the petition corridor, ablutions room, and hammam. Visits are accessible in various languages. No compelling reason to cover your head, yet knees and shoulders ought to be covered.
There are different tours on Saturdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at various times from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Check the site for changes to the timetable during the Muslim holy month (Ramadan) to ensure everything. It takes 45-60 minutes to visit there by a tour that led in English, French, Spain, and German. The petition corridor and underground ablutions rooms are the main part of every tour. Visitors should take off their shoes (plan your socks likewise), yet you are given a little sack to convey them on your visit. The underground parking lot is accessible close by.
Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
