The Hassan II Mosque is a mosque located in Casablanca, Morocco. It was designed by the French architect Michel Pinceau and is the second largest in the world (after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca). It is sited on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret is also the world's tallest at 210m.
Work on the mosque was commenced on July 12, 1986, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king, Hassan II, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until August 30, 1993.
All of the granite, plaster, marble, wood, other materials used in its construction were taken from around Morocco. 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 sole exceptions are the white granite columns and the glass chandeliers.
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.
It was built on a reclaimed embankment, inspired by the verse of the Koran that states 'the throne of God was built on the water'. The mosque looks very Moorish and the architecture of the buliding is similar to those in Alhambra and the Mezquita in Spain. This Mosque as well as the old Tin Mal Mosque are the only two in Morocco open to non-Muslim tourists.
