Casablanca Hassan II Mosque Print

Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque stands directly beside the Atlantic Ocean, making the sea part of the experience of the building rather than simply its backdrop. Construction began in the 1980s and the mosque was inaugurated in 1993, combining large-scale modern engineering with extensive Moroccan craft traditions.

Much of the detail was produced by Moroccan artisans, including carved plaster, woodwork, stone and zellige tilework. Long arcades and repeating arches continue patterns found throughout Moroccan religious architecture, while the enormous minaret makes the building visible across Casablanca. The mosque is therefore not an old medieval monument pretending to be timeless; it is a modern national project built through traditional materials and craft, which gives its architecture a very particular place in contemporary Morocco.