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The Grand Mosque of Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco

In the morning October 14th, 2006 I visited the Hassan II Mosque, built for the 60th birthday of former Moroccan king Hassan II, is the largest religious monument in the world after Mecca. It has space for 25,000 worshippers inside and another 80,000 outside. The 210-meter minaret is the tallest in the world and is visible day and night for miles around. Although Hassan II Mosque was designed by a French architect, it is Moroccan through and through. All of the granite, plaster, marble, wood, and other materials used in its construction were taken from around Morocco (the sole exceptions are the white granite columns and the glass chandeliers) 6,000 traditional Moroccan artisans worked for five years to turn these raw materials into abundant and incredibly beautiful mosaics, stone and marble floors and columns, sculpted plaster moldings, and carved and painted wood ceilings. The mosque also includes a number of modern touches: it was built to withstand earthquakes and has a heated floor, electric doors, a sliding roof, and lasers which shine at night from the top of the minaret toward Mecca. Many Casablancans have mixed feelings about Hassan II Mosque. On one hand, they are very proud that this beautiful monument dominates their city. On the other, they are aware that the expense (estimates range from $500 to 800 million) could have been put to better use and they resent the fact that the building of the mosque necessitated the destruction of a fairly large, slummy section of Casablanca, the residents of which did not receive any compensation.