City · The Economic Heart
Casablanca
Book the Hassan II Mosque tour at 9am or 2pm — it's the only mosque in Morocco non-Muslims can enter.
Casablanca is where Morocco works — a vast, modern, Atlantic-facing metropolis of 3.5 million. Travellers pass through it, but its reward is the Hassan II Mosque, the third-largest on Earth, built half over the sea. Skip the romance; come for the scale.
A short history
A modest Berber settlement until the French turned it into Morocco's economic engine in the 20th century, Casablanca (Dar el-Beida) is the city of the film that was never shot here. The Hassan II Mosque, finished in 1993, was commissioned by the king and funded by public subscription.
The editor's guidance
Best for
- Slow travellers
The ledger
- Tier
- UNESCO · GOLD
- Match
- 92/100
- Best season
- All year
- Why shown
- Editorial flagship · Written by the UseMorocco editors