Over the ocean
A mosque on a headland.
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Morocco's largest mosque and one of the largest in the world, standing on a rocky headland over the Atlantic Ocean; it was completed in 1993 to a design by the architect Michel Pinseau under the guidance of King Hassan II, with thousands of Moroccan craftsmen from across the kingdom working on it. Its minaret, about two hundred and ten metres high, is among the tallest in the world, and a laser beam shines from its top towards Mecca. The prayer hall holds about twenty-five thousand worshippers and the outer esplanade about eighty thousand, and part of the mosque extends over the ocean. It has a roof that opens mechanically, marble walls, carved cedarwood columns and doors, and zellij and stucco made by Moroccan master craftsmen in traditional ways. On the lower floor is the ablutions hall with marble fountains shaped like lotus flowers, and a traditional hammam. The mosque looks its best at sunset from the Corniche, when its walls glow above the waves. Non-Muslims visit on guided tours at set times, and the tour costs a foreign adult one hundred and forty dirhams according to the Hassan II Mosque Foundation. Tours run from Saturday to Thursday in the morning and afternoon, with fewer on Fridays. Clothing must cover the shoulders and body to below the knee; shorts and sleeveless tops are not allowed.
A mosque on a headland.
Marble, cedar, zellij.
Lotus-shaped fountains.
Boulevard Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah, on the ocean front, Casablanca
Yes, on guided tours at set times; it is one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims, with modest dress required.