Happy Easter from Casablanca, Morocco! Another country checked off the list. For most Casablanca conjures up the 1942 film starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid and the famous scenes of Rick’s Café. Today’s modern Casablanca is the Kingdom of Morocco’s largest city with a population of about 3.22 million in the urban area, and over 4.27 million in Greater Casablanca, The irony of spending Easter in a country where >99% practice the official religion of Islam and only .09% are Christians was not lost on us. We did find an Easter celebration at the Notre-Dame de Lourdes Church during our 10-hour tour of Casablanca and the capital city of Rabat. It was a long day, so this is a long post. Explanation and photos follow. The photos may be truncated, click on them to view the full photo.
We started our tour with a stop at the Hassan II Mosque. It is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and is the 14th largest in the world. Its minaret is the world’s second tallest minaret at 210 metres (689 ft) We did not go inside.
This was followed by a visit to the historic Casablanca Cathedral. The church was constructed in 1930. The cathedral ceased its religious function in 1956, after the independence of Morocco. The inside was empty.
We found Easter Services at our next stop at the Notre-Dame de Lourdes Church.It was built in 1954 by architect Achille Dangleterre and engineer Gaston Zimmer.
Next was a short walking tour in the neighborhood of Hubous. This neighborhood was developed in the early stages of the French protectorate and is a cultural and religious center for Casablanca and for Morocco, as it hosts the Moroccan Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
Leaving Casablanca, we made the drive along the toll road to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. It should be noted that Morocco is in the midst of a construction boom. Roads and building were going up the entire length of our drive.
Our first stop in Rabat was for a traditional Moroccan lunch at Dar Rbatia in restaurant located in a narrow alley in the old walled city.
After our delicious Moroccan lunch, we walked along the old city streets to Kasbah of the Udayas. The kasbah (citadel) in Rabat, Morocco. It is located on a hill at the mouth of the Bou Regreg opposite Salé, and adjacent to the Medina quarter of Rabat. It is listed, along with other sites in Rabat, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From the Kasbah we traveled through the gates, complete with guards on hose back,of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Located across from the Hassan Tower, it contains the tombs of the Moroccan king Mohammed V and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.
Our final stop of the day was the Royal Palace of Rabat, the primary and official residence of the king of Morocco in Rabat. The king was not in residence during our brief visit.
A long drive back to Casablanca followed. We did a drive by the modern Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca, the interior is supposed to be modeled after the movie.
This was a truly amazing way to spend Easter Sunday. Another country off our list.
