What can be said about one of the World's most amazing sights? Surely I can't express how awe-inspiring the Hassan II Mosque is in 500 words or less, but I'll give it a try.

Designed and built by French architects, the mosque towers high over the city of Casablanca, right on the edge of its Atlantic shores. In my opinion, this is the most beautiful building in the World. Regardless of what faith you hold, this building will charm you - it's impossible not to fall head over heels for it.

Approaching the mosque, with its 210 meter minaret (tower) imposing over you, is a surreal experience. You almost feel unworthy walking towards it, a mere tourist, trying to justify "sightseeing" when really, you're walking on the holiest ground in Morocco. There's a certain mysticism about it, and it's definitely a privilege when the guards out front invite you closer for a better look. The intricate detail on the walls, the beautiful Moorish arches, the gracefully arched columns - it's enough to make the strongest of men weak in their knees.

I ventured closer to the entrance, where I peeked inside. Sadly, I hadn't arrived during an official tour time (there is one English tour per day - it was at 2:00 PM at the time of my trip). Because I wasn't there on time, I couldn't see the interior. Non-muslims are prohibited from entering. But, from the doorway, I saw some amazing architecture. Gold, silver, marble, all intertwined and on display, a massive, beautiful icon of the Muslim faith.

If you are lucky enough (and wise enough) to come during the time of an official tour, be sure to check out the glass floor. This revered area of the mosque hangs over the Atlantic ocean, where prayers are held daily. It's considered by many to be the most beautiful religious spot in all of Africa.

Regardless of whether you are here for worship, introspection, or just for sightseeing, be sure to take some time to head behind the mosque to the cliff wall overlooking the Atlantic coast. The views from here are breathtaking. Also, be sure to come back at night for some views of this amazing building as it is lit for the night sky. The colors are spectacular.

The building is less than twenty years old, and is the third largest mosque in the World. If ANYTHING deserves your time in Casablanca, it is the Hassan II Mosque. Go ahead, get your hopes up, come here with the highest of expectations - it will be impossible to be underwhelmed.

A taxi from downtown Casablanca runs about $2.00. There is no admission to wander the grounds, but tours are levied a small admission charge. You'll need at least three hours here to fully appreciate the mosque, so plan accordingly, and most of all - enjoy yourself!

Standing proud over both the Atlantic Ocean and the city of Casablanca, the Mosque of Hassan II is a fantastic convergence of architecture, art, geometry, religious devotion, and national pride. The mosque is showcased in every brochure about Casablanca and featured in every Al-Jazeera station ID as one of the Arabic World’s great heritage sites -- just after Mecca itself. The awesome size of the mosque and the surrounding plaza is too great for any camera lens. What is truly mindblowing is the intricate detail that becomes apparent as you move closer to the structure -- detail that must be overlooked as you step back to take it all in. The mosque is a symbol of pride amongst the many Moroccans I met, although my "tour guide" complained that extortionate taxes had been paid by the citizenry in order to fund its construction. Looking at it today, it would be hard to find anyone who would dissent at how magnificent it is.

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.

This was an ambitious project undertaken by King Hassan II, whose aim was to build the most magnificent mosque at the most western point of the Muslim world. He was assured that this monument would be the North African equivalent of the Statue of Liberty. The pride of Morocco, it marries modern metallic titanium with traditional stonework.

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.

Being the only mosque in the whole of Morocco that is open to the non-Muslim public everyday except Fridays. Although it costs around US$20 per person for the guided tour, it is more than just sightseeing, but an eye-opener to the world and religion of Islam. There are four guided tours per day (from Saturday to Thursday at 9, 10, 11am and 2pm) so make sure that you time it well or else you’d be left sitting around and waiting for your turn. And each tour can only take up to about 20 or 30 people.

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.

Dramatically located at the most Western point in the Muslim world, the Mosque Hassan II is situated at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Traditional Moroccan architecture combined with ultra-sophisticated technology was used to create this masterpiece.

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.'