Casablanca -- As Time Goes By...

(This article was first published in Samll World Ezine some time between 2002 to 2004)

The movie "Casablanca" was well long before my time. It's
a good movie, but it had never made me feel anything else
(oh I like the song, though). Probably because I am not a 
romantic person, or because time's changed. 

I've never been to Casablanca nor Morocco myself. But there 
was once I flew home from Paris, and got a seat next to a 
gentleman who's just visited Casablanca the first time. He 
could not stop talking about it all the time. After listening 
to him for most of the 15-hour flight, I felt as if I'd 
already spent a week there.

And with the all the movie fame... I guess this is worth 
writing about...

If you are visiting Spain anyway, coming to Casablanca for
a one or two nights stay is not a bad idea. It's just across 
the sea. 

They said the movie Casablanca was not actually taken in 
Casablanca. It was shot in the neighboring Tangier. Wherever
it was, Casablanca nowadays does not look anything like how
it's like in the movie. The newer part of the city is modern
and cleaner, while the older part is much smaller and 
well-worn. 

However, The old colonial centre of Casablanca is really 
beautiful. Buildings are of a French version of impressive 
and interesting Arabo-Andalucian architecture, white with 
soft lines, and often plenty of details. 

Another "must" visit is The Mosque of King Hassan II.
(We used to talk about King Hassan in our earlier article)
"The World's Royal Families" .

The king of Morocco at the time, Hassan II, first mentioned 
this mosque in 1980, planning to build it on the water. The 
mosque was inaugurated on August 30, 1993. It was designed by 
the French architect, Michel Pinseau, and has the tallest 
minaret in the world (200 metres). There is room for 20,000 
worshippers inside the mosque at the same time, and the 
courtyard gives space for another 80,000. Two thousand five 
hundred men worked on two shifts. The marble came from 
Agadir, the granite from Tafraoute, while the glass was 
imported from Venice. The mosque was funded by donations, 
and the total cost was an estimated US$800,000,000. 


As for the sea, the sea of Casablanca is already out in the 
Atlantic. So the water is colder than other beaches in the
Mediterranean. The water itself is quite polluted from
the badly destroyed environment in the neighboring sea of 
Tangier. However, just sitting and enjoying the scenery is
good enough. 

From the sea you can see the famous city walls of Casablanca 
too. Unlike many other cities of Morocco, where the city 
walls often dominate the image of the city, the walls of 
Casablanca are lower and unimposing. Looking from the sea
you'll get the best of them.

Talking sea, Casablanca Port is biggest and busiest port and 
one of the largest on the African continent. With a number of 
deepwater quays, the port abounds with shipping from oil 
tankers to cruise liners. Fishing is plentiful as are 
pleasure boats. Centre 2000, a large shopping complex is 
worth visiting.

The Old Medina is the original Arab town. Place Mohamed V
is the heart of the city flanked by truly splendid French 
Colonial architecture, housing a number of government and 
public offices, set around a central fountain that spurts 
jets of multi-coloured water. And The New Medina is the new 
residential area built by the French in 1930. You can see 
traditional Moroccan architecture in a modern urban planning 
here.

Shop local stuff in the old town (bargain more than 50%), and
shop European stuff in the city centre.

Read history of Morocco here
Morocco - History, Culture & Food (Chapter)

 

More:

How to get there...

Casablanca has its own International airport which is about 
30 minutes drive form the city centre. From there, you can
rent a car, take a taxi, bus or train.

You can even drive from Spain. Take a ferry from Algeciras 
of Spain to Morocco' Spanish town of Tangier, and drive west 
along to coast until Casablanca.  There are also ferry trips 
twice a week from Gibraltar to Tangier.

To get around is easy by taxis and bus. You can also walk 
around.


When to go...

The climate is always too warm. Going there in a colder time
(October to April) is recommended. You can start your trip 
now, yachting Southern Greece, Italy and Spain before 
arriving at Casablanca in October. That's perfect.


Cultural awareness...

It is a Muslim country, so please be careful to dress 
properly. Girls, do not wear shorts or sleeveless. And you
boys be careful photographing local girls. Ask for permission
first. Do not hug or touch them improperly.

Officially, Arabic is the language spoken in Morocco, and 
many dialects are spoken. In Casablanca, French, Spanish and 
English are usually understood as well.