Casablanca also called as “ad-Dār al-Baydā”, originated from Amazigh, is an amazing city of western Morocco, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast and is a great metropolis of Grand Casablanca region. It is the largest city as well as the focal point of all the major activities of the country and the heart of the business and economic centres of Morocco.
Casablanca has a great historical significance and is very popular amongst the tourists for a number of notable sights, a bustling city which tempts an agglomeration of people to take flights to Marrakech – Menara Airport to observe the magnificence and elegance of the city. Casablanca is situated on the plain of Chawiya which is known to be the breadbasket of the country. It was established in the 7th century by Berbers and served the purposes of a port in the Roman era.
Hassan Al Wazan in his book “Wasf Afriquia” has declared ‘‘Anfa (ancient Casablanca) as a great city which was founded by the Romans. He also believed that Anfa was the most prosperous city on the Atlantic coast because of its fertile land’’. There a number of alluring and fascinating areas of this splendid city and has gained much fame because of its only natural attraction which is Bouskoura forest, which is a perfect escape from the busy and noisy life of the city. The forest was deep-rooted in the 20th century and is the home of various pine and Eucalyptus trees.
The greatest attraction of the city is its largest park Parc de la Ligue Arabe, and the Casablanca Cathedral is situated on its boundary which is a magnificent marvel of Moresque architecture. The city also features another charming spot The Marabout de Sidi Abderrahmane which is frequently visited by the natives and the foreigners, located on a mini islet away from the Casablanca shore and is only accessible during the season of low tides.
The most striking feature of Casablanca is the New Town that was modelled by a famous French architect Henri Prost. The New Town is also called as Ville Nouvelle and radiates east and south from the area, where the main market of Anfa was located. New Town is considered to be the most distinguished and impressive region of the country as it is bordered by a number of luxurious hotels and numerous administrative buildings whose designs are the blend of Art Deco and Hispano-Mauresque styles.
Another remarkable and note-worthy landmark of Casablanca is Hassan II Mosque whose architecture was devised by Michel Pinseau and is located on that mass of the land which overlooks the Atlantic, visible through an elephantine glass-floor that owns a number of rooms for approximately 25,000 peoples. Besides, the courtyard of the mosque is spacious enough to accommodate almost 80,000 worshipers. The minarets of this grand mosque are considered to be the tallest one in the world with the elevation of about 210 metres.
The mosque stands as the third largest in the world and also the greatest one of North Africa. Apart from these few interesting areas there is a lot more at the bewitching Casablanca city so get ready to unveil the hidden surprises of this flamboyant city.
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