Hints Archives ⋆ Page 19 of 267 ⋆ The Passenger

November 3, 2024December 30, 2024

Mausolée Mohammed-V

Mohammed V is one of the rulers the Moroccans will probably not forget. He was the first to request independence from the colonizing countries Spain and France and was sent to exile because of this. After rising civil unrest, he could return in 1956 and successfully negotiate independence and the creation of the kingdom of Morocco. Mohammed V found his final rest in a beautiful and rich mausoleum next to the unfinished mosque of Rabat and the Hassan tower. He and his son Hassan II are protected by five guards in traditional uniforms.

November 3, 2024December 30, 2024

Unfinished mosque

When leaving the medina of Rabat to the southeast you can find an unusual building conglomerate on a hill: the unfinished minaret of an unfinished mosque next to the mausoleum of Mohammed V. A tower with a large field of columns next to an important grave. In the 12th century CE, Yaqub al-Mansur, the ruler of the Almohad empire requested the construction of the largest mosque in all Maghreb states. When he died in 1199 CE the construction works were stopped immediately and you can still see that state today.

November 3, 2024December 30, 2024

Kasbah des Oudaïas

The most beautiful place at Rabat is the Kasbah des Oudaïas. In fact, it is a combination of two kasbahs created by two different Moroccan dynasties to protect the city from pirates and serving as a royal seat. Directly at the ocean you can discover the old kasbah which is today a residential area filled with restaurants and touristy shops. You can climb up between the houses to the bélvèdere giving you great views on the ocean and the river. It is easy to imagine how this was once a military facility to protect the city. You can enter and leave this place through the historic Bab des Oudaïas gate.

November 3, 2024November 29, 2024

Riad Zyo

Once you reach the medina of Rabat you’ll see that it is entirely surrounded by an ancient city wall. The streets within are mostly traffic-free (with the exception of the Avenue Laalou passing between medina and necropolis), which gives you a nice experience while walking through the old town but also challenges you with the question of how to reach your guesthouse. The Riad Zyo is pretty easy to recht: after passing the Bab Laalou you only need to walk some meters on the Avenue Mohammad V and then turn right into the Rue Moreno. A small plaque at the wall will signal you that you’ve reached your destination.

November 2, 2024January 2, 2025

Villa des Artes

There aren’t too many places in Morocco to see contemporary art, especially local contemporary art. The one place I liked most is the Villa des Artes at Casablanca, located in an art déco villa build in 1934 close to the Parque de la Ligue Arabe. it is not a vast museum, but a beautiful building with two floors full of artworks by current Moroccan artists. While I was visiting the museum a large tent in the garden even extended the available exhibition space.

November 2, 2024January 2, 2025

Mosquée Hassan-II

The modern mosque of Casablanca is an unreal place. You wouldn’t expect such a vast building in a city like Casablanca which isn’t even one of the former capital cities of Morocco. When standing in front of this giant house of prayer made for 25,000 worshippers directly at the sea you can’t be anything else then impressed: it is one of the largest mosques in the world and its minaret is the second highest ever built.

November 2, 2024January 2, 2025

Habbous

The medina of Casablanca has unfortunately been destroyed by the earthquake of Lisboa in 1755. Most historic sights have been lost and the city has received a more modern style since then. A great place to explore is in fact the second medina which is called Habbous. It dates back to the year 1916 when a Moroccan Jewish merchant donated the land to the king. As the king wasn’t allowed to receive a donation from a Jew (antisemitism can unfortunately be found in many places), the donation was redirected to a new foundation. This Habbous foundation created a special city quarter with low-price housing the cannot be sold by the inhabitants.

November 1, 2024December 2, 2024

Kenzi Basma

Casablanca is the economic powerhouse of Morocco and its medina has unfortunately been destroyed by the earthquake of Lisboa in 1755. It feels acceptable to in this case not aim for a classic guesthouse but to check-in at a plain vanilla hotel. The Hotel Kenzi Basma is located at the Boulevard Hassan I between the medina and the Place Mohammed V with its administrational buildings. From the hotel main entrance it is easy to reach the central Place des Nations-Unies and to access the tramway network.

November 1, 2024December 2, 2024

Nouasseur

Mohammed V International Airport, Casablanca

The international airport of Casablanca (CMN) is located 30 kilometers south of the city. It was built in 1943 during World War II by the United States (who used it until 1963) and has two runways. 7.6 million passengers use the Aéroport international de Mohammed V – Nouasseur Casablanca every year, making it one of the top 5 airports in Africa.

October 25, 2024October 26, 2024

Pavillon

In the 1970s the Deutsches Familienkaufhaus (DeFaKa, a shopping mall) at Hannover needed a temporary new home because their normal location at the Seilwinderstraße close to the Kröpcke was rebuilt. For that reason a flat building behind the main railway station of Hannover was constructed and surprisingly it is still there today: in 1977 it was not torn down but became the Kulturzentrum Pavillon, a socio-cultural center which serves as a public library, a concert venue and a bar.