#9. Visit the Hassan II Mosque
Having taken a 7am bus to Tarifa, boarded the 9am fast ferry
to Tangier, dashed for the 11.30 train to Casablanca and then argued for a taxi
fare to our hotel (also not booked), we felt we had achieved the ultimate in
free-form travel. The Motleys allowed
two days to get to Casablanca and had made it in one. We celebrated by having a beer (also a rare
event in Islamic Morocco) and dinner in Hotel Al Mamoun. This hotel had just the right Moroccan
flavour with decorative tile work, French antiques and nightclub customers
enjoying an evening shisha pipe.
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Villa des Artes (Are we in Singapore?) |
Next morning we set off to explore Casablanca, Morocco’s
commercial hub. The city is an immediate
assault on all senses. Dirty, full of
rubbish, people and chaotic traffic, all horns, braying donkeys and demanding
touts eager to fleece your last dirham.
For all that, tourists were a rare enough site and we settled in to
strolling with locals to see art deco gems left by colonial French. Our first stop was the well cared for Villa
des Arts, a restored 1930’s mansion that could have been equally at home in
Singapore; now it’s an art gallery showcasing contemporary Moroccan art.
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Tiles with style |
From here we walked past the Cathedral du Sacre Coeur
(1930), deconsecrated and dilapidated, into the old walled Medina, through
narrow streets lined small shops and carts selling fresh produce, meat, fish,
plastic shoes, computer spares and the ubiquitous mint tea. We slid out into a government store (set
prices) only to find the Cap’n cornered in the carpet section. Pricing in Morocco proved to be dealing the
ultimate in slippery little suckers….
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Hassan II Mosque decorative detail |
We took the opportunity to visit Hassan II Mosque the next
morning. One of the largest religious
buildings in the Islamic world, perched out on the edge of the Atlantic
coastline, it cost some US$800m to construct.
The craftsmanship is superb though, with dazzling tile work, decorative
fountains and stunning painted woodwork.
Fortunately, non-Muslims are allowed to visit this extravaganza where more
than 100,000 devotees can come at any one time to pray.
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Hassan II Mosque interior |
The intrigue and romance of Hollywood and Ricks
Café (Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman) eluded us.
The city has had many reiterations since its beginnings as a Phoenician
trading post (6th c BC). This was just one of them.
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