Morocco - King Hassan II Mosque (Casablanca)

[Jimbojack]

Here are some more photos I just added to my website from my recent trip to Africa. I'll post more very soon ;)

The King Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca is one of the largest mosques in the world. The largest mosque in the world is Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, but there is some disagreement which is the second largest. Some people claim it to be the Hassan II mosque, while others say it's the Shah Faisal mosque in Islamabad. It's funny to watch the Wikipedia articles about them change as people edit them to "support" their choice. My guide to the mosque in Casablanca claimed that this was the second biggest in the world, but when I asked her about the Shah Faisal mosque she claimed she didn't know about it. In number terms, the Shah Faisal mosque can hold more worshippers inside, as well as in the courtyard.

(25,000 inside, 80,000 outside for the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca)
(34,000 inside, up to 300,000 outside for the Shah Faisal in Inslamabad)

It does however have the world tallest minaret, at 210 meters (689 feet).

A good description can be seen at Sacred Destinations.


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View of the mosque from the large courtyard in front.


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Arches near the entrance to the mosque.


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Close-up of a wall near an entrance.


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http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_007.jpg


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Inside of the mosque.


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Close-up of a wooden ceiling inside the mosque.


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Wooden screen with a seat.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_012.jpg


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Ablution areas


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One of the entrances to the mosque.


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Arches near the entrance to the mosque.


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Another one of the entrances to the mosque.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_022.jpg
The mosque's minaret.


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Man wearing a traditional robe walking to the mosque.


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View of the mosque from the left.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_026.jpg
Close-up of some windows, taken inside the mosque.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_027.jpg
Close-up of the ceiling.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_028.jpg
Close-up of a wall, inside the mosque.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_029.jpg
Close-up of a wall, inside of the mosque.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_030.jpg
Close-up of a wall, inside of the mosque.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_031.jpg
Close-up of a wall, inside of the mosque.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_032.jpg
Close-up of a wall, outside of the mosque.


http://www.jimbojack.com/Countries/Morocco/Morocco_Hassan_033.jpg
Close-up of a wall, outside of the mosque.

[mmroden]

Awesome! Truly spectacular!

[Arnica]

wow ! the painting celings and walls, colour mosaics on the floors are amazing !
Thanks for sharing !

[Seefutlung]

Wow! Great stuff both the mosque and you photography.

Gary

[JenGrace]

What an intricate and interesting place to photograph! Thanks for sharing. :clap

[LilleG]

An interesting and impressive journey. Thanks for sharing it.

[GREAPER]

Beautiful stuff.

[digismile]

The architecture is absolutely stunning. I can't imagine how long this took to build, likely generations, I bet. Certainly not something that you would see today!

Thanks for the great post ...

[digitalpins]

wow amazing place and beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing.. All those marble floors are amazing even the ceilings are awesome. Truely a beautiful place, the designs on the walls..... wow that place must have taken forever to make.

[Jimbojack]

I'm glad you all enjoyed the photos, it was a fascinating place to visit.

The Mosque was commissioned by King Hassan II on his birthday, June 9th 1980. It was designed by a French architect Michel Pinseau, and work on it began in July 1986. It was finished on August 30, 1993. It cost somewhere between $500-$800 million.

Here is a good decription:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/morocco/casablanca-hassan-ii-mosque.htm

I'll post some more photos from Morocco today.