Strolling in Casablanca, the highest concentration of visual interest is in and around Ville Nouvelle (New Town). It was designed by the French architect Henri Prost and was a model of a new town at that time. The main streets radiate south and east from Place des Nations Unies. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Moorish and Art Deco. Today, the buildings are mostly a little off-white and looking a little drab. A few of the fanciest have gold highlights.

Across the street, now integrated into the wall of the old medina, is a clock tower (behind the hemisphere) that was the work of the French. It was originally built in 1911, by order of the French Captain Dessigny, Until the construction of Mosque Hassan II, it was the most emblematic buildings in Casablanca. It was initially situated next to the old city wall, which was destroyed a little later to give more access to the port, so the tower stood alone in the middle of the square for several decades. It was a symbol of the French colonial power. Dessigny's aim was to convince the inhabitants of Casablanca of the need to get used to the pace of life in an industrial society. In 1948, they began to demolish it, because of its precarious state of disrepair. Forty-five years later, in 1993, it was reconstructed by the Moroccan municipal authorities at it current location.  It was reproduced in its original design.

Leading off to the east from the plaza is an extension of  Boulevard. Hassan I. For a couple of blocks it is a divided roadway, with a median that is landscaped with royal palms. It commemorates President Felix Houphouet Boigny, the first president of Ivory Coast (1960-1993).

The most colorful location in Casablanca just might be the central market. Between the fruits, vegetables, and dry goods packaging, the market arguably has the highest concentration of pigment in town.

Parked at the edge of the park was a blood donation truck (left)-- I never saw it open or move over several days. Next door and behind the park is the Tribunal de Premiere Instance, with a more neo-Romanesque style of architecture, which is uncommon in Casablanca.

The old media in Casablanca lacks the size, color, diversity or character of those in Fes and Marrakesh or even Rabat. And to a certain extent, it lacks the tourists, as well. Once you are passed the cluster of tourist shops around the gates, you will still find the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker, or whatever. Oh, and there are cafés.  The patrons are local so you figure you are looking at the health of the base economy.

Except for economic activities, Casablanca is a coastal city that has largely turned it back to the sea. The notable exception is the iconic Grande Mosquée Hassan II, which is on a promontory overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The Andalusian-Moorish-style mosque was started in 1986 and completed in 1993. The architect is Michel Pinseau, a Frenchman. He did many projects in Morocco and for King Hassan II. This is by far his most famous project. Ten-thousand artists and craftsmen participated in building and beautifying the mosque. The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable.  Most of the marble, cedar and granite used in the construction was sourced in Morocco. One-hundred-and-five thousand worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside grounds. That makes it about the twelfth largest mosque in the world by capacity. Though the 210m (689 feet) high minaret is the tallest in the world. A laser on the minaret points the direction of Mecca. Another unique feature is the seabed is visible through a section of the glass floor of the building's prayer hall.

In outlining his vision the King said:

"I want to build this mosque on the water, because God's throne is on the water. Therefore, the faithful who go there to pray, to praise the creator on firm soil, can contemplate God's sky and ocean."

The most hideous use of the coastline is the Mall of Morocco, a particularly uninspiring, large, white box, that is partially surrounded by asphalt parking lots.

Rabat South Coast