Holiday in Casablanca

About Casablanca

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco and the economic heart of North Africa. With over 3.7 million inhabitants, the metropolis on the Atlantic is much more than just the setting for the legendary Humphrey Bogart film from 1942 — it is a vibrant global city where French Art Deco architecture meets Arab tradition. The Hassan II Mosque is the undisputed landmark: with a 210-meter-high minaret — the tallest in the world — and space for 25,000 worshippers inside and 80,000 in the courtyard, it is one of the largest mosques in the world. It was built directly on a promontory above the Atlantic, so that at high tide the sea is visible beneath the glass floor. As one of the few mosques in Morocco, it is also accessible to non-Muslims. The Habous Quarter (Nouvelle Medina) combines French urban planning with Moroccan architecture: orderly souks with spices, leather goods, and ceramics, less chaotic than the Medina of Marrakech, but just as authentic. The old Medina of Casablanca offers Rick's Cafe as a tribute to the cult film. The Corniche, the waterfront promenade along the Atlantic, is the modern face of the city: restaurants, beach clubs, and the Morocco Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in Africa. The Art Deco district around Boulevard Mohammed V is home to hundreds of buildings from the 1920s to the 1950s in Moorish-Norman style.