There are benches on both sides of the mosque and a nice place to sit and take a bite while you're waiting for the tour to start. There is no shade, but the temperature is tempered by the breezes blowing in from the ocean. And occasionally you can hear the whistles of police officers who swarm the grounds.

Having purchased your ticket and been appointed a guide (according to the language you have indicated you'd like the tour to be conducted in), you will be informed where and when to gather for your guided tour. Our English-speaking tour guide was able to explain not just the architecture well but also gave us an insight into the religion. The tours are also conducted in French. And there is a concession for students. Photography is allowed inside but not filming with a video camera.

Before entering the mosque, you are encouraged to cleanse your hands and face at one of the many colourful, mosaic fountains outside the mosque on the esplanade.

At the entrance into the building proper, you will be given a sticker which identifies that you are part of a group tour which is stamped with a number and the date of the tour. After which you will be given plastic bags to store your shoes, as you will be walking barefoot throughout the interior.

On the guided tour, which will take about 1.5 hours, the guide will walk you through the many prayer halls and huge ablution chambers that can accommodate 500 people at any one time. Especially on Fridays, when it is compulsory for the men to go for noon prayers. The prayer halls are divided into an area for men, and an area for women upstairs with windows so they can see the religious master ~ faqih.

Part of the building is built over the cliff and certain areas of the great hall has transparent glass flooring, from where you are able to see through to the ocean below.

At the end of the tour, you are expected to tip the guide, we gave ours US$2 per person. But of course, as always, it is up to your own discretion.

And if you'd like you can take the elevator up the minaret but that costs extra.

Jutting out atop the Atlantic (you can see water below your feet as you walk atop the partially glass-tiled floor), its beauty is nonetheless compromised by its very modest location and US$500+ million price tag. It has been noted that less fortunate Moroccans have not benefitted financially from the erection of the mosque, especially with the demolition of low-income neighbourhoods during its construction period. Having said that, it has been suggested that Moroccan arts and crafts were saved from extinction in the building and decorating of this mosque.

Note: Tours (mandatory) are offered in a variety of languages and are available to non-Muslims every day at fixed hours, except on Fridays. Remember to dress modestly!

Directions:
The easiest way to reach the Hassan II mosque is to take the Boulevard des Almohades (turns into Blvd. Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah). It's on the shoreline, so you really can't miss it.

This immense mosque was commissioned, as a gift, to King Hassan II for his sixtieth birthday, in 1989. The largest mosque outside Saudi Arabia, it can accommodate an astonishing 25,000 worshippers inside and an additional 80,000 outside on the esplanade. The structure is so large; that the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome could fit inside its handcrafted marble walls. With a 650-foot minaret, it is the tallest religious structure in the world

An Eastern-facing laser, atop the minaret, indicates the direction of Mecca. Since we are not Muslims, we were not allowed inside the mosque. However, our guide told us that a museum, steam baths, a library, and Koran school and conference facilities are all located inside.

This immense architectural marvel set so sensationally at the water's edge, not only provides a stunning shrine, but also echoes the Koran verse 'Allah has his throne on the water.'