First off, shout out to all the Wisconsin people that are following along!
It was an early start today and we boarded our bus for a 5 hour excursion in Casablanca (Spanish 101 = white house). The town was originally called Anfa and settled by the Berbers. This is the largest city in Morocco and has one of the largest artificial ports in the world. About 7 million people live in the city where the minimum wage is the equivalent of $250 a month and rents around $2000. Gas was the equivalent of $1.50 a liter or $6 a gallon.
We drove through a portion of the city that had French influence with large windows and balconies. Another area with Moorish influence that had arches and beautiful woodwork but most everything incorporates the new and modern next to the old. There was a dilapidated area close to the beach the guide said was where the “fishmen” lived. Not only did it look very run down but it was also walled off.
The current king of Morocco is King Mohammad VI. He is a much-loved ruler according to our guide, who has worked to modernize the country. He is married to a red headed commoner (our guide’s comment, not my research!). He inherited 23 palaces throughout the country, 2 located in Casablanca, one in the city center and one near the beach.
Our first stop was at Notre Dame de Lourdes, a Catholic cathedral. The majority of the population (97%) identifies as Muslim, but there is a small group of Jewish and Christian. At one time there were 32 synagogues in the city, and today it has been reduced to 12. We were very fortunate to have seen the interior because we heard later groups were denied entrance because of a funeral and then a wedding.
The church was dark inside which provided a great canvas for the beautifully illuminated stained glass that lined 2 complete walls and above the entrance. It was breathtaking! The front of the church and ceiling was wood.
We passed the Regional Law Courts on our way to the Palace. Interesting window and door but not allowed inside.
Our next stop was the King’s Royal Palace. It is not used as a living space but now only used for ceremonial purposes. We were only allowed onto the garden plaza. Even though the King wasn’t there, the area still maintains security with guards stationed around the perimeter and at entrance guard shacks.
We were able to get a picture of the iconic “Rick’s café” from the movie Casablanca. Our guide was quick to point out that not one frame of film was actually filmed in Morocco, it was all on a movie set in the U.S. Jeff also said that the famous line attributed to the movie, “play it again Sam,” isn’t in the movie either. I don’t know, haven’t seen it.
Our next stop was a long stop and will definitely be one of the most memorable stops of this trip. It was to the Hassan II Mosque. According to the Koran, God created his throne on the water, and that is the reason this sight was chosen, on the Atlantic Ocean. Had we not been on a tour, the entrance fee would have been $130 per person.
Some facts and then lots of pictures to follow. It is the 2nd largest mosque in the Islamic world, after the mosque in Mecca, and has the 2nd highest minaret, only recently surpassed by a few meters. It is the largest mosque in Morocco and was built by the father of the current king and designed by the French architect Michel Pineau. It was the king’s wish that he see it completed before he died, and he did get to see it. This was stunning Arab-Islamic architecture with Moorish influences. The craftsmanship and attention to the tiniest detail was amazing.
Work began in 1986 and was completed in 1993 with 8000 workers laboring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at a total cost of approximately $8 billion. That is 490,560,000 MAN hours!!
I have been in the mosque in Jerusalem so I knew the inside would be cavernous but I was stunned speechless at the immensity of the space and how noise didn’t carry from one group of tourists to another. Every single surface was decorated. The floors, the walls, the doors, the ceilings, the columns. The material to build the mosque was all sourced from Morocco with the exception of the Carrera marble and the chandeliers, which both came from Italy. The doors are made of titanium and the larger doors in the middle of two side doors that you will see in the pictures, open. But they don’t split down the middle to open because they would block the side doors, they are automatic and raise straight up into a recess above the door. If you look at one of the pictures you can see it.
The inside of the mosque can hold 25,000, with women separated from the men, on another floor. The exterior plaza will hold an additional 80,000. The basement area was set up for cleansing before entering for prayer 5 times a day. Women who are on their periods are not allowed to enter. Young boys can go with their mothers and young girls can go with their fathers until they reach the age of maturity. The prayers recited are passages that have been memorized from the Koran. They know every word in the Koran, and no aids are used for the prayers.
Cleansing before prayers is rather detailed. They use running water only, no still water. Everything that follows in this description is done 3 times each. First hands to wrist, water taken into the mouth, then the nose, face is washed Adam’s apple to top of head, hands to elbows, neck, head, right foot, left foot. (Left hand is for dirty places). No shoes allowed inside the mosque.
The mosque has 24 doors and separate entrances for men and women. Only prayers are allowed in the mosque, no ceremonies or weddings.
If you look at the outside pictures of the mosque, the topmost part of the roof actually opens, sliding apart from the center. The center portion which is roped off, has channels on each side which allows for water to run. I imagine when the roof and doors are opened it is an entirely different look and feel from what we experienced.
These pictures are from the outside:
The following pictures are from the inside:
The following pictures are from the remainder of our excursion:
Around dinner time the captain came on and said that tomorrow we would be entering the Straits of Gibraltar around 7:30 in the morning and we would pass the Rock of Gibraltar at around 8:45. He was happy that we were getting out because a storm was expected here the next day.
We will have 1026 miles to reach our next stop which is Tunisia and would be traveling at about 18.2 knots. He said that when we leave the pier that the King’s yacht was parked behind us and he would have to maneuver around it. He also said that we would be passing by a brand-new cruise terminal that hasn’t been used yet because the King has to open it. I dragged Jeff to the back of the ship to get a picture of the king’s yacht …. And well, just call me gullible 😊