The city of Casablanca is two-faced: first of all it is the economic powerhouse of Morocco. If it is about business in Morocco, it is most probably at Casablanca. That’s a factor that shapes the modern parts of the city and influences infrastructure. From a touristic point of view, the city attracts visitors with something virtual, an illusion created far in the past. If you say the name Casablanca all around the world people immediately see Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergmann sitting at Rick’s Café in Casablanca struggling with the German influence on the Vichy-regime-controlled Morocco during World War II.
‘Round up the usual suspects.’
Unfortunately, not a single scene of the 1942s iconic movie was filmed at Casablanca. It is all Hollywood-made. And there wasn’t even a Rick’s Café in the city until 2004 when it was opened as a tourist hotspot. Is it nevertheless worth to visit Casablanca? Of course! But you need to be well-prepared and know the places worth seeing. Unfortunately, the medina of Casablanca is not the place to be – it has been destroyed during the earthquake of Lisboa in 1755 and was rebuilt in rather modern style. Have a look at the very old Mosquée Ould el-Hamra and continue to the Sqala, the small fortress at the sea. Today it is restaurant, but you can nevertheless discover the gate and the fortifications which can be considerated the oldest remains of the medina. Just a stone’s throw away you’ll find the Rick’s Café if you’re in for touristy stuff.
‘We’ll always have Paris.’
One of the two big highlights of Casablanca is the mosque Hassan II; a new and modern mosque with a roof that can be opened like a football arena. It is an impressive place of prayer that you would expect in one of the imperial cities, a place that brings Casablanca onto tourist maps. Worth exploring is also the modern part of the city with the place Mohammed V (surrounded by administrational buildings), the Sacred Heart cathedral, the vast Parc de la Ligue Arab and the small but very interesting Villa des Artes nearby. If you want to see how the rich people are living at Casablanca you need to travel a bit in the direction of the Plage Aïn Diab and its surroundings; it feels like being in a completely different world.
‘Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By.’
The second big highlight to me is the second medina, Habbous. It is a city quarter originally built for the poor people, the craftsmen coming into the city to earn a living. The rent for these houses is very low still today and inhabitants try to not move out by any means. Start your trip at the Makahma du Pascha administrational building with its lovely gates and walk past the Palais Royal that you can only see from a distance. From there you can get into Habbous with its original city structures, small souks, community bakeries and the olive market. You can buy souvenirs and have a nice thé à la menthe before continuing your journey. By the way: Casablanca has a surprisingly good tramway network that you can use to get around.
Casablanca
Morocco
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