Hassan II Mosque
Vast oceanfront mosque with one of the world’s tallest minarets and exquisite Moroccan craftsmanship.
The Hassan II Mosque stands on the Atlantic shoreline of Casablanca, between the port and the El Hank lighthouse, with part of its platform built out over the sea. Construction began in July 1986 on the initiative of King Hassan II and the mosque was inaugurated on 30 August 1993. The complex covers about nine hectares and is managed by the Fondation de la Mosquée Hassan II. It is one of the few working mosques in Morocco whose prayer hall can be visited by non-Muslims, on guided tours.
The mosque was designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau and built by the engineering firm Bouygues. Its minaret, about 200 metres high, is among the tallest in the world, and a laser at its summit points towards Mecca. The prayer hall, roughly 200 metres long and 100 metres wide, holds around 25,000 worshippers, with space for tens of thousands more on the esplanade. Part of the roof can be slid open, and a section of the floor is glazed to reveal the sea below.
Some thousands of Moroccan craftsmen worked on the decoration, which uses cedar wood from the Middle Atlas, marble from Agadir and granite from Tafraoute. Carved and painted wood, sculpted plaster, zellige tilework, marble and copper are combined throughout the prayer hall, ablution rooms and galleries. The complex also includes hammams, a Koranic school, a library, conference rooms and a museum. Guided tours take visitors through the prayer hall, the minaret hall and the ablution rooms.
Highlights
- Minaret about 200 metres high with a laser beam directed towards Mecca
- Prayer hall for around 25,000 worshippers, partly built over the Atlantic
- Sliding roof section that opens the prayer hall to the sky
- Decoration in cedar, marble, zellige and carved plaster by Moroccan craftsmen
- Guided tours of the prayer hall and ablution rooms open to non-Muslim visitors
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