Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II mosque in Casablanca is the third largest in the world (mosques in Saudi Arabia are larger) It is 660 feet long and 330 feet wide, and it boasts the second highest minaret, at 650 feet. 25,000 people can worship inside the building at one time, and another 85,000 outside in the courtyard.

The mosque is partially built over the Atlantic Ocean, apparently because the Quaran states that “God’s Throne was built over the water.”

The doors are brass and titanium

Very highly detailed

And there are 40 fountains surrounding the building.

With exquisite Zellige (the name for this kind of mosaic)

Almost all of the building materials are from Morocco, except for the white marble pillars and the Murano glass chandeliers, all from Italy. The cedar is from the Middle Atlas Mountains, and it is intricately carved, like the railing around the women’s mezzanine.

Women have a separate entrance for worship from that of the men, which leads directly to the mezzanine. Everywhere we are reminded that, under the current “Family Law,” women are equal to men – but in this case, it appears that this means “separate but equal.”

And, it appears that the carved cedar is not enough, so this stairway is also ornamented with zellige.

Here is a picture of the main sanctuary. It is aligned to the east (the direction of Mecca) with the mihrab at its east end. People in the picture give you some idea of scale – it’s 200 feet from floor to ceiling. The two center sections of roof are retractable, so that worshipers can pray in the open air.

The side aisles are also quite beautiful

And the mugarnas are very intricate. They are also know as “stalactite vaults” and they are symbolic of the creation of the universe by God. These are atop some of the pillars.

Nor only are the mugarnas in many places carved, but they are also painted.

There are many arches in the building, and they, too, are ornamented. Some are just painted,

While others seem also to be carved.

Many beautiful details of the Mosque attracted my camera lens:

Adjacent to the mihrab is this plaque:

Translation: A gift of God.

And another inscription, in the ablutions chamber beneath the prayer hall has the final word:

Allah is the owner of the world.

Mary

Casablanca

Monday, 10/7/19