Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes

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Today began with a morning tour of the Hassan II Mosque. It’s the third largest in the world and one of two mosques in Morocco that’s open to non-Muslims. It rivals many of the large cathedrals in size and craftsmanship but I was too busy admiring the mosque so I didn’t catch much of what the guide said. It has a retractable roof but it wasn’t open at the time.

We then drove to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. First stop was the Royal Palace. It looks fairly posh from the outside and I am sure it’s even more lavish inside; too bad we could only tour the exterior. The guards outside looked relaxed, probably because the king wasn’t in Rabat at the time.

Next stop was Hassan Tower. It is the only significant remnant of what was planned to be the largest mosque in the Muslim world in the 12th century. It was abandoned after the death of Yaqoub al Mansour, fourth monarch of the Almohad dynasty and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake dealt a further blow to the site. The tower is already quite high, but only half of what it was designed to be. Adjacent to the tower is the Mohammed V Mausoleum. It was designed by a Vietnamese architect and the resting place for King Mohammed V and two of his sons. There was someone reciting the Koran and guards at the entrances and each corner inside the mausoleum.

The last stop in Rabat before driving to Meknes was Kasbah des Oudayas. Kasbah means a fortified city, and this one was built overlooking the mouth of the Bou Regreg river and the Atlantic. It has many narrow alleyways but easy to get around because of it’s relatively small size. There is a viewing platform overlooking the river estuary and the ocean. As this was our first Kasbah experience at some point the song “Rock the Casbah” by Clash was played.

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Photos

Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca Hassan II Mosque - 3rd largest in the world and one of only two in Morocco open to non-Muslims