Casablanca

From the Wikipedia entry for Casablanca:

Casablanca, located in the central-western part of Morocco bordering the Atlantic Ocean, is the largest city in Morocco.

The area which is today Casablanca was founded and settled by Berbers by at least the seventh century BCE. It was used as a port by the Phoenicians and later the Romans. The various Berber dynasties held Casablanca till the 15^th century, when the Portuguese occupied the city. Later it was held by the Spanish. In 1755, an earthquake destroyed the city. It was rebuild later in the 18^th century. In the early 20^th century, it was a French Protectorate. Morocco became independent in 1956.

From the Wikipedia entry for Hassan II Mosque:

The Hassan II Mosque is the largest mosque in Morocco, the second largest in Africa, and the 5^th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 m (690 ft). The building dimensions are 200 m (660 ft) in length, 100 m (330 ft) in width, and 60 m (200 ft) high. All of the granite, plaster, marble, wood and other materials used in the construction, were extracted from around Morocco, with the exception of some Italian white granite columns and 56 glass chandeliers from Murano. The exterior surfaces of the mosque display titanium, bronze, and granite finishes. The mosque was completed in 1993. The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshipers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside ground.

The ablution room and a vast public hammam are in the basement, with its own entrance.

All pictures are © Dr. Günther Eichhorn, unless otherwise noted.