Casablanca

Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city and its economic centre — a port city of four million people built mostly in the 20th century on the Atlantic coast, with a character shaped more by French colonial planning than by the ancient medina tradition of Fez or Marrakech. The French Protectorate administration built the city’s European-style grid between 1912 and 1956, which is why the centre looks different from any other Moroccan city: wide boulevards, Art Deco office buildings, and a central business district that operates on European commercial rhythms. The old medina, rebuilt in the 19th century rather than the medieval period, is one of the newest in Morocco and relatively modest compared to those of Fez or Meknes.

The Hassan II Mosque is the city’s defining structure and one of the most significant pieces of Islamic architecture built in the 20th century. Completed in 1993 and designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau, it was commissioned by King Hassan II and built on a promontory over the Atlantic — part of the mosque floor is glass, through which the ocean is visible below. The minaret is 210 metres tall, the tallest in the world. The mosque can hold 105,000 worshippers simultaneously (25,000 inside, 80,000 on the esplanade). It is one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors, with guided tours available outside prayer times.

Casablanca is predominantly a transit city for most international visitors — Mohammed V International Airport is Morocco’s main hub, and many travellers pass through rather than stay. Those who do spend a day or two are well-served: the Hassan II Mosque warrants 90 minutes, the Corniche waterfront is good for an evening walk, and the Art Deco district around the central market has some of the best-preserved 1930s commercial architecture in Africa. As a Muslim-majority country, halal food is the default in Casablanca, and the city has no shortage of options across all price points. The best time to visit is spring or autumn — summer on the Atlantic coast is warm and sometimes overcast due to marine fog.