FULL DAY CASABLANCA VISIT

 

Modern Morocco begins in Casablanca, or ‘Casa’ for short. Casablanca is a big place, which grew from a small trading port at the end of the 19th century to become one of the Africa’s biggest cities.

Regarding the history of Casablanca, it dates back to the Phoenicians. In middle ages, this small Berber town named Anfa was a trade center. It was remained deserted for three centuries because of the Portuguese who destroyed it in 1468.

In the 18th century, and under the impulsion of Sultan Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Casablanca re-born. This Sultan wanted to make from Casablanca a military site and a maritime trade center. The city took the name of ‘Dar el-Beda’, which the Spanish translated to ‘Casablanca’. ‘Maison Blanche’ in French, ‘the White house’.

 

 

In the 19th century, European trades settled at Casablanca, and in 1907 the French obtained an official permission from the Sultan Abdel Aziz to construct an artificial harbor.

The expansion of Casablanca began when the French occupied Casablanca in 1907 and the town grew quickly.

With its wide avenues, elegant buildings and huge port designed by Henri Prost in 1915, Casablanca was held to be the finest achievement of French colonial urbanism.

The city has continued to expand, and in the 1980s and 1990s acquired a number of new architectural landmarks.

With a full day, one can visit all the major sights in Casablanca.

 

The Hassan II Mosque: it stands at the most western point in the Muslim world. To be completed, the Mosque took five years of intensive labor by over 30.000 workers and craftsmen. All the materials and labor were Moroccan except 50 chandeliers. The costly operation was paid for by public subscription. In terms of covered area, the mosque is the second largest in the world after Mecca. It is built on a rocky site, and the water of the ocean practically washing the bay windows of the prayer hall. It contains also buildings for a library and museum. Its 200 meters high minaret is Casablanca’s chief landmark. It draws inspiration from the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech. The minaret has a laser beam that is visible over 35 kilometers away; this laser beam indicates the direction of Mecca.

 

The Administrative Square : the post office is the first public building in the square built between 1918 and 1920 by Adrien Laforgue. The hôtel de la ville, actual building of La Willaya, and the actual court of Anfa, built by Marrasat between 1921 and 1922, are the most beautiful public buildings in the city. 

 

The   Medina  : dating from the 19th century. It had three main sections: a bourgeois area where the Europeans lived, a Jewish neighborhood called Mellah, and an area housing rural migrants. The Great Mosque built by Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ibn Abdellah, the Koubba of Sidi Bou Smara and Sidi Belyout are the major monuments of the Medina. 

 

Quartier des Habous: it is a French conception built in the twenties for the rural immigrant. In general the Quartier des Habous was carefully designed mini-Medina to be called  ‘Nouvelle Ville’. In this quarter, there are the Mahkamate el Pacha building and many shops of Moroccan craft.

 

Ain Diab and the Corniche: it’s the most animated area in Casablanca. This beautiful balneal resort, Aïn Diab, offers a superb view on the Ocean. Hotels and beach clubs with open-air pools have been built on the rocks along the Ocean. Around the Corniche, there is the elegant residential area of Anfa.

 

Included in the rate : 

Land Transportation by:

Private car: 2 – 3 Pax

Mini-Van: 4 – 10 Pax

Visit to Hassan II Mosque with entrance and guide fees