In North Africa, a small state, the Kingdom of Morocco, is located on the Atlantic Ocean. Near the capital of the country Rabat is Casablanca - it is the largest port and the most populous city. It is home to nearly 3.5 million inhabitants.
Translated from Spanish, its name sounds like "White City". Literally: "casa" - at home, "blank" - white.
The place where Casablanca is located has been very popular with people since ancient times. The climate there is Mediterranean, the water temperature is warm even in winter, so many tourists rush to relax on the coast among palm trees and plunge into the atmosphere of the ancient city.
Historical reference
Back in the Middle Ages, the city was called Anfa. It was destroyed several times and rebuilt again. At first the Portuguese defeated him. After a long recovery, a strong earthquake again destroyed all the houses. Only in 1755 the city was rebuilt again. The ancient Moorish part of the city still remains in the center of Casablanca. These are beautiful small old buildings. The remaining quarters were built during the French rule.
During World War II, it was in this great port of North Africa that the Allied forces landed. In 1943, a meeting of two world leaders took place on the territory of the city: Great Britain - Winston Churchill and the USA - Franklin Roosevelt.
From the mid-60s, France regained Morocco's independence and the country quickly began to decline. Then, recovering a little from the economic crisis, the state began to actively develop the tourism sector of the economy. This helped restore prosperity to the country.
Description of Casablanca (Morocco)
The coastal city discussed in the article has not only a large port with one of the largest artificially created harbors in the world. Casablanca has international trade routes. It is connected by a network of highways and railways with the rest of the world. The city has an international airport. Almost all of Morocco's trade connections are located in Casablanca. This is the export of crops, leather, wool, phosphates.
This city is rightly considered the main industrial center of this state. In addition to the developed fishing industry and canning of fish, the city industry is focused on woodworking and furniture manufacturing.
A lot of building materials are produced, the glass and tobacco industries are developed. All banking operations in the country are carried out in Casablanca. It is an annual venue for trade fairs.
Medina District
Modern Casablanca is more like a metropolis somewhere in America. These are skyscrapers, huge office buildings that flooded the entire territory of the city. It can hardly be called green, since a large area is filled with buildings. The islands are parks and squares. According to our tourists, the brightest part of Casablanca in Morocco is a snow-white strip of beaches that stretches along the entire city.
But Moroccans sacredly honor traditions and take care of their history, preserving the monuments. The city has many ancient mosques, beautiful palaces, narrow ancient streets and colorful market squares. All this diversity is collected in the central part of the city in the old quarter called Medina.
Entrance to the quarter through an old beautiful carved gate. Only here you can hear the screams of street vendors inviting passers-by tourists to buy their goods.
The main mosque of the city
The main attraction of the quarter is considered the Hassan II Mosque. The height of the minaret reaches 210 meters. The interior is striking in its beauty to all visitors.
The construction is modern, the construction of religious sites ended only in 1989. The building is so huge that it can easily accommodate 25,000 believers in its prayer hall. Another 80,000 can be accommodated for prayer in the square in front of the mosque.
Interior decoration
The interior is lined with white and pink granite, and huge 50-ton glass chandeliers were brought specially from Italy. Hold a vault of 78 columns. For the manufacture of a floor area of nine hectares, only golden marble and green onyx were used.
The latest technologies were used in construction. So the minaret is earthquake-resistant, and the floor in the prayer hall has a heating system. The roof has a special system that extends as needed. The minaret has a laser spotlight on top. With its help, a 30-kilometer green beam is launched towards the Reserve Mosque in Mecca.
Another interesting feature of the famous mosque is the fact that half of its area is located above the ocean. When the tide in the Atlantic, the believers get the impression that the mosque is floating on the waves. Such an effect was invented by the architect from France Michel Pinso, who, after reading the words of the Koran "The Throne of Allah is on the water", decided to bring them to life. A particularly vivid impression is created when the ocean storms and waves are high.
Five years were spent by masters on decorating halls and columns with mosaics and laying marble floors. Such beauty is allowed to watch and tourists. After all, not every mosque has access to people of a different faith.
Mohammed Square 5
This is the central square of the city, where many official offices are located: the main bank and post office, the Consulate of France and the Palace of Justice.
On the territory of the square are beautiful flowerbeds and gardens with a fountain. There, in the evenings, locals love to gather for walks. All the facades of the buildings overlooking the square are made in the neo-Moorish style. The plan was to create this square, French General McLiote.
Old streets
A tourist will never be able to feel what Casablanca is until he walks along the old streets of the city. Only here old small houses can tell about locals, tell the story of this beautiful city.
The smell of butchers and freshly baked bread from local bakeries spreads throughout the quarter, and luring visitors to themselves. You can try local cuisine in the many cafes right on the street. All old Moroccan houses have white walls, so the city was called white.
Resort area
The entire coastline of the Atlantic Ocean is built up with luxury hotels, pensions and hotels for every taste and budget. Now tourists from all over Europe like to spend time here, swimming in the warm waters of the ocean and sunbathing under the rays of the gentle sun of Casablanca. Detailed information about the city is described in the article, so as you see, in addition to relaxing on the coast, the city has many remarkable places where you can walk and get acquainted with the cultural heritage of Morocco.
You are waiting for an unforgettable experience of exotic places, from various colorful and colorful products offered by traders in the city markets. And the cuisine of Morocco will bring diversity to your life. After all, sometimes you want something completely unconventional, new experiences and acquaintances.
Visit this wonderful country and its largest city - Casablanca!