Attractions
Hassan II Mosque
Accommodating 2,500 worshippers inside and another 80,000 in its courtyard, this is a truly monumental complex right next to the sea. It covers a site of 9 hectares (22 acres), making it the world's second largest religious building after the main Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca. Commenced in 1980 and opened in 1993, but not set to be fully finished for several decades yet, it has been the inspired work of French architect Michel Pineau and some 35,000 Moroccan craftsmen. The amazingly ornate minaret is the world's tallest, standing 200m (656ft) high while two laser beams reach 30km (18.5 miles) towards Mecca. The vast prayer hall even has a sliding roof that can be open to the heavens.
Address: Sour Djedid at boulevard Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah
Admission. Free. There are hour-long guided tours of the mosque throughout the day for male non-Muslim visitors.
Casablanca Twin Center
A strident piece of contemporary architecture by Spain's Ricardo Bofil Levi and Elie Mouval, this twin-tower complex, soaring 100m (328ft) skywards, contains offices, shopping malls and a state of the art conference center. It is seen as an evocation of the city's commercial vibrancy.
Address: Boulevard Zerktouni at boulevard El-Massira
Admission: Free
The Medinas
These are the great new traditionally styled living spaces that sprang up as the city expanded rapidly in the early 20th century. Two of the gates of the old town walls still survive in the Old Medina, whose attractions include an 18th-century fortress, a jewellery market and the tomb of Sidi Allal el-Kairouani, who became the city's patron saint in 1350.
The New Medina, also known as the Quartier Habous, was created in the 1930s in traditional Arabic style and has pleasant flower-bedecked and arcaded streets. Ornately carved stucco makes the nearby palace Mahakma du Pacha, a triumph of Arabic decoration.
Address: Old Medina: Between boulevard des Almohades and place Mohammed V; New Medina: Close to boulevard Victor Hugo
Admission: Free
Musée du Judaïsme Marocain (The Jewish Museum)
Set 3 miles from the city center, in the suburb of Oasis, this is a truly unique attraction because it is not only Casablanca's only museum, but it is also the only Jewish museum to be found in any Muslim country anywhere in the world. Set in a modern and well-maintained building are collections of religious books, costumes, sacramental artifacts and other items reflecting the role that the today 5,000-strong Jewish community has had and continues to play in Morocco. When fundamentalist bombers killed 45 people in attacks on mostly Jewish properties and businesses in 2003 it sparked the country's biggest ever protest demonstration, marching under the banner ‘Jews and Muslims, we are all citizens, we are all Moroccans.'
Address: 81 rue Chasseur Jules Gros, Casablanca Oasis
Tel: (022) 994 940.
Web site: www.casajewishmuseum.com
Admission charge.
Place Mohammed V (formerly Place des Nations Allies)
Laid out as the Place de France in 1920, then renamed as Place des Nations Allies after WWII, then again to Place Mohammed V, this imposing square is undisputedly the heart of the city. Its arcades are lined with bustling cafés and tacky souvenir shops while the impressive clocktower keeps time over the hustle and bustle. Running off the square towards the busy port is the shop- and restaurant-lined boulevard Houphouët Boigny, at whose end stands a memorial to Sidi Belyout, the city's present patron saint.
Address: Place Mohammed V, city center
Admission: Free
