07 February 2025 – Friday – King Hassan II Mosque

Our last full day in Morocco began with a visit to one of the largest mosques in the world. In Morocco it is the only mosque open to visitors. According to our guide, King Hassan II felt that Casablanca needed a spiritual center. So he had this impressive mosque built out on a platform over the water. It is a structure that has beautiful mosaics, titanium doors, a ceiling that has panels that open for breezes in hot months and enormous washing areas in the lower level to accommodate the ablutions required before prayer. The main hall can hold several thousand men on the main floor and a few thousand women upstairs. It took 7 years to build. Visitors pay about $14 per person to enter. No visits are allowed during prayer times. 

When we left the mosque, we drove to a point of land to see the mosque from the water side. It’s a dominant structure in the cityscape. 

We then drove to the palace/medina area for one last shopping opportunity. We visited the communal ovens where people bring anything they need baked. Right across the street is a pastry shop that makes a huge variety of sweet almond cookies. Abdou bought a selection and we moved on to a cafe for nuss nuss to go with the cookies. In most of the previous places, the cookies were not sweet at all. These cookies had lots of sugar or honey to make them sweet. Yum! 

We rushed around making final purchases before going to lunch. We have not had a moment of hunger on this entire trip! 
We sat outside at a nice restaurant near the port. It has been warm and sunny for the past few days and I am happy. Looks like we are returning to a big snow event. 

After some free time back at the hotel, several of us chose to eat dinner at a restaurant with music and a belly dancer. The restaurant was upstairs inside a market area. It had been a Jewish temple in the 1700’s but was converted to a private home and then a restaurant. It was ornate and elegant. 

Dinner was more food than any of us could eat. The belly dancer was young and pretty. She danced around the tables several times. It was strange to see a woman scantily clad after all the fully covered women we had seen in the streets. We were reminded that belly dancing is an Egyptian tradition so the modesty covering is not required. 

Our taxi driver was waiting for us as we left the restaurant. We also learned that our 4pm flight was moved to 9pm. We will have plenty of time to relax in the morning. 
What a fabulous trip!!