Hassan II mosque is an architectural masterpiece and well worth a visit. Located on reclaimed land, the world's third largest mosque is surrounded on three side by ocean. It is huge and can hold up to 25,000 worshipers, has a retractable roof and is built from predominantly local products - marble, granite, and various woods. Inside are splendid examples of wood carving, zellij (tiled mosaics) and stucco moulding.
Although large, it is not commonly frequented by locals as they often resent the forced contributions that led to its construction.

The exterior can be visited at any time and guided tours of the interior are also available. They cost 120 Dh for adults and occur at 9am, 10am, 11am and 2pm Saturday to Thursday. Tours are run in a range of languages including English and French. Visitors should be respectfully dressed but women do not have to cover their heads. Shoes will need to be removed before entry. Visitors are free to photographs both the interior and exterior of the mosque.
The mosque is a 20-minute walk from Casa Port railway station, or alternatively take a petit taxi.

I visited the mosque in the late afternoon, as prayer was already in progress. Old women relaxed in the shade of the endless arcades and archways projecting outwards from the main structure. Their hyperactive grandchildren ran pell-mell through the archways, screeching and shouting as they went. As the adults quietly exited the mosque, the children dashed through robes and legs looking for their parents. It reminded me of my own trips to church with my family; mother and father solemnly focused on the task at hand, while my sister and I fiddled and paid no attention. Many families come in from the countryside in order to pray here at least once, and with beaches and shopping nearby, most make a day out of this pilgrimage. The mosque is a gathering place for local families as well. I was there on a weekday, so the number of faithful fell far short of the 25,000 worshippers it can supposedly hold.

As the intense sunlight finally eased and the laser pointing toward Mecca was lit, families sat together along the ramparts bordering the huge plaza laid out before the mosque. At the far end of the esplanade –- at least 200 meters from the mosque entrance -- teenage boys played a game of pick-up soccer. The tide had gone out by then, and other boys and older men jumped from rock to rock in the tidal pools below the mosque, filling their buckets with what appeared to be mussels.

Enjoying the tranquility of this place was a wonderful experience. The only sad note is that it is clear that certain features of the plaza and the mosque are already in disrepair after only 15 years of wear. One would hope that the government is in a position to maintain such a cultural treasure -- even if it can never be fully shared with the non-Muslim world.

Being the third largest mosque after Mecca and Medina, this awesome building is perched on the precipice of a cliff, with part of it hanging over the sea. Inspired by the Koran, which says that "the throne of God was built on water," this project was ingenious as the symbol of a developing Atlantic nation because, for centuries, the Arabs were plagued with the Sea of Obscurity-Atlantic Ocean-associating it with invaders, colonists, and weak tribes driven back from the heartlands of Morocco. But with the rise of Casablanca as the country's economic powerhouse, the Moroccans are finally focusing on the coast.

Work began on the mosque in 1980, being built right over the sea on the site of a former municipal swimming pool south of the city. Financed largely by donations at an estimated cost of $800 million, the astronomical cost is matched by designs of a gigantic scale, covering a total area of 24,000 square yards. The prayer hall can accommodate 250,000 worshippers with space for another 80,000 pilgrims on the esplanade. A laser beam, indicating the direction of Mecca, shines as far as 22 miles from atop one of the world’s tallest minarets. Visible from anywhere in the city, it is topped by three gilded balls on its roof that are the size of a football pitch.

As the brainchild of French architect, Michel Pinseau, the mosque has tones of ochre and green (the traditional colour associated with Islam). It was inaugurated on August 30, 1993 in commemoration of the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king, Hassan II.

Beyond the massive doors of the mosque, the interior shimmers with polished marble floors, granite columns, and Moorish arches topped with cedar-panelled cupolas. The intricately decorated roof is lit by pale green Bohemian crystal chandeliers and can be opened to flood the hall with light. Just about every square inch is precisely carved, painted and chiselled by the best of the best of Moroccan artisans. Over 2,500 men worked on two separate shifts to complete its construction. The mosque has a retractable roof and a heated floor, and the seating area for the women seems to levitate above the main floor. You can see through the floor to the fountains and baths below.

A cultural centre, with a library, museum, and Muslim schools, adjoins the main building. The creation of this vast complex was followed by an extensive program of urban development in which whole areas in the immediate vicinity were demolished and a wide access road was constructed.