Not Your Average Mosque
The Hassan II Mosque is an architectural jewel located on the coast of Casablanca , Morocco . The edifice partially extends into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean . The English-speaking tour guide explained that it was inspired by the Quranic verse, “The throne of God was on the water.” The architecture of the mosque has evolved from Islam as a religious, social, political, and cultural phenomenon. It combines tradition and modernity, and like a typical mosque the inside is more lavish and decorative than the façade.
The Hassan II was designed by French architect Michel Pinseau, and was built from 1987-1993. It was built in honor of the 60 th birthday of former King Hassan II. 10,000 craftsmen from around Morocco contributed to the project, and it was constructed by 2,500 men working in 24-hour shifts.
The magnitude of the Hassan II Mosque is overwhelming. The Musallah, or main prayer hall, covers 20,000 square meters on the ground floor and has the capacity to hold 25,000 worshippers inside – 20,000 men on the main floor and 5,000 women in cedar mezzanines on either side of the hall. The outer courtyards can accommodate an additional 80,000 people. The cedar roof can be retracted to allow ventilation and sunlight since the mosque is not air-conditioned. Loudspeakers are disguised at the base of columns around the Musallah so that the khatib (sermon leader) may be heard. Verses from the Quran are carved into the marble and granite around the perimeter, both inside and out.
Its minaret, the tower commonly found at any mosque, is the highest in the world. It extends 200 meters tall, and loudspeakers at the top allow most of Casablanca 's inhabitants to hear the muezzin, or person who calls the five daily prayers. It is decorated in mosaic tiles of green, yellow, black, blue, and white, that form graceful geometric designs.
The basement houses the ablutions hall which contains 41 fountains for bathing before prayer, as Islamic custom prescribes. There are two hammam, or traditional baths, below as well, although they are not open to the public just yet. One is in the traditional Moroccan style, and the other is Turkish style. These baths serve the social function of the mosque, and when opened for service, non-Muslims will be welcomed to participate.
With the exception of Venetian chandeliers and Italian marble columns at the mihrab (the niche denoting the direction of Mecca , the direction to which Muslims pray) all of the materials used in the mosque's construction were brought from different regions of Morocco , a detail the tour guides seem quite proud of.
“Like the city of Casablanca itself, the Hassan II Mosque represents traditional religious ideas combined with modern technical achievement,” our tour guide said. “Its beauty is a tribute to God Almighty.”