Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco

5Chelsea D 5:00 PM Jan 20, 2023

Magnificent building open to non-Muslims with guided tours
We visited in late morning on a Friday in March 2022. Our driver dropped us off at the gate, and we got a full mosque tour for 400DH for all three, paid in cash. Once inside, we had to remove our shoes and carry them around in a bag. There were about a dozen people in our English group, and the guide, Musaa (Moses), was very entertaining. We learned he spoke 11 languages and had basically an eidetic memory. The mosque was built by Hassan II, took 6 years to build with all Moroccan materials, and is open to non-Muslims b/c of UNESCO interest. Once inside, the prayer area was massive. It held 25,000 people, we were told. You get good views of how the ceiling would open up and the side walls open up for cool ocean air. We walked around the main prayer area and the lower washrooms. Musaa made sure to answer questions, all of which were respectful after he detailed the ritual cleaning process. After the tour, we returned to the entry building to use the very nice bathrooms. There is a small history museum inside, some areas open to the public, and others require a separate ticket.

5Mary Margaret Y 5:00 PM Oct 16, 2022

Worth an overnight stay
The mosque is gorgeous and worth a visit if you have time. It's about $40 to see it, so only go inside if you really have interest in the architecture and interior tiles, etc. The outside is a sight to see on its own. I highly recommend booking a room near the mosque so that you can hear the call to prayer in the pre-dawn hours. It lasts about an hour and from my place was loud and clear. But it was a misty, cloudy night and the beautiful sound from the minaret all lit up in the sky was unforgettable and beautiful. Walking around this area doesn't offer much so go elsewhere for sightseeing after you've spent a good amount of time looking at the mosque's exterior and viewing it from the ocean side.