Morocco VIII - Olinto to Casablanca
I was without a map. Based on the roads we we were on we must have driven the light blue marked road (P2022) until we entered northern Marrakech. I know we were back on the super motorway A3 by Ben Guerir.
AZURE Luxury Residence Villaas - northern Marrakech.
There were a lot of luxury homes being built along this highway.
You gotta love a fire hydrant in such a lovely sidewalk. At a Friskiss restaurant.
"Escape the ordinary with these crispy bugles available in four magical flavours: Ketchup, Chilli, Ch... Que Rico! It tastes like Mexico!" As read on the packages he was carrying.
The A3 motorway.
“The Autoroute Casablanca–Agadir is a new main road in Morocco. Building began in 2000 and the road was inaugurated on 21 June 2010 by Prince Moulay Rachid.
The road is 429 km (267 mi) long and connects the cities of Casablanca and Agadir through the city of Marrakesh and High Atlas mountains.”
It is reminiscent of California’s US 5 going through the Central Valley.
The solar panels provide power for the pumps bringing up water.
So many of the trucks seemed to be overloaded & top heavy.
As we approached Casablanca we went under multiple pedestrian bridges.
Casablanca is the financial capital of Morocco. That fact was represented in the architecture & businesses.
“Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, derives its name from the Spanish and Portuguese words for “white house.” The name refers to a small fort that was built on the ruins of the city of Anfa in the 16th century.”
I prefer our guide Youssef’s origin story. Pirates/traders found the port & trading very agreeable. On a hill, overlooking the harbor, they built a fort/bank to store their goods. They built it of materials they were familiar with. When they returned the salt-wet air & wind had wreacked havoc on the building. They rebuilt using local materials to make it white & more resistant to decay. When they returned, the white was like a beacon welcoming them. And so it goes…
The c. 1933 “Hassan II Mosque (Arabic: مسجد الحسن الثاني)is…the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 14th largest in the world.”
Being built “on the Atlantic Ocean is inspired by the Qur'anic verse 'the throne of God was upon the water' was a pioneering idea intended to invite believers who go to this mosque to remember the greatness of God who created the sea and the sky.”
The promontory that it’s built on is partially filled in ocean front.
No one can say how many hundreds of millions dollars it cost , in a lower mid-income country.
From the Kingdom of Morocco Fondation de la Mosquée Hassan II’s website:
“Expression of the symbiosis between a king and his people, the realization of this prestigious monument was financed thanks to the participation of all the Moroccan people who voluntarily answered the Royal call, each according to his means and his generosity .“
The 210 m (689 ft), 60 stories high minaret is the 2nd tallest in the world.
It’s constructed of highly resistant concrete.
At night, a laser light at the top is directed towards Mecca.
“Effective restoration works were instituted in April 2005.”
With the constant exposure to sea water & wind this must be a forever project like maintaining the Golden Gate Bridge.
Worshippers can pray looking out over the sea.
“The walls are of hand-crafted marble and the roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 25,000 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 on the mosque's outside ground.”
Youssef said that the artisans used large tiles on the extremely high walls.. If they had used smaller ones it would have added many years to the completion date.
Carved wooden spiral staircase leading up to the women’s area.
Kursii is chair in Arabic. The English educational term course is derived from kursii . With the students seated on the floor in front, the professor sits in a chair like this to teach a course. Also think chairman.
We walked to dinner here as suggested by our driver Farid. The main language spoken in the restaurant was French.
Our table was next to one with a young couple who had just returned from working finance in France.
The breakfast area was filled with mostly men. We guessed that they were in Casablanca on business.
It was the day after the U.S. elections.
This fellow was a Moroccan who lived in France. He was extremely pleased with the outcome of the American election. His facts were inaccurate…
I wrote to the hotel & inquired about them.
"These are a personal collection of the hotel’s owner. We do not have much information."
In Casablanca women can do anything & dress as they please. She’s moving the car around in the showroom.
The c. 2016-2019 Sidi Maârouf Bridge.
“…online backlash about the delays are what finally led to the bridge opening without a proper inauguration.”
“‘They are keeping the bridge for a special occasion, like a visit from Trump,’ joked one Twitter user.”