In North Africa on the Atlantic coastlocated a small state of the Kingdom of Morocco. Not far from the capital of the country Rabat is Casablanca - this is the largest port and the most populous city. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants.
Translated from the Spanish language, its name sounds like "White City". Literally: "touch" - at home, "blank" - white.
The place where Casablanca is located, since ancient timeswas very popular with people. The climate there is Mediterranean, the water temperature is warm even in winter, so many tourists rush to relax on the coast among the palms and plunge into the atmosphere of the ancient city.
Historical reference
Even in the Middle Ages the city was called Anfa.It several times collapsed and rebuilt again. First the Portuguese smashed it. After a long recovery, a strong earthquake again destroyed all the houses. Only in 1755 the city was again rebuilt. The ancient Moorish part of the city is still in the center of Casablanca. These are beautiful small old buildings. The remaining blocks were built already during the French rule.
During the Second World War, it was in thisa large port of North Africa landed Allied troops. In 1943, the city hosted a meeting of two world leaders: Britain - Winston Churchill and the United States - Franklin Roosevelt.
Since the mid-sixties, France has returnedthe independence of Morocco and the country quickly began to decline. Then, after recovering slightly from the economic crisis, the state began to actively develop the tourism sector of the economy. This helped bring prosperity to the country.
Description of Casablanca (Morocco)
The coastal city, referred to in the article,has not only a large port with one of the largest artificially created harbors in the world. Through Casablanca are international trade routes. It is connected by a network of highways and railways to the rest of the world. The city has an international airport. Almost all of Morocco's trade relations take place in Casablanca. This is the export of grain crops, leather, wool, phosphates.
This city is quite deservedly consideredthe main industrial center of this state. In addition to the developed fishing industry and canning of fish, the city's industry is focused on woodworking and furniture manufacturing.
Much is made of building materials, the glass and tobacco branches are developed. All banking operations of the country are conducted on the territory of Casablanca. This is the place of annual trade fairs.
District Medina
Modern Casablanca is reminiscent ofmegapolis somewhere in America. These are skyscrapers, huge office buildings, flooding the entire territory of the city. It is difficult to call it green, since a large area is filled with buildings. Parks and squares are located by the islets. The brightest part of Casablanca in Morocco, according to our tourists' reviews, is a snow-white strip of beaches stretching along the whole city.
But Moroccans sacredly respect traditions and carefullybelong to their history, preserving monuments. In the city there are many ancient mosques, beautiful palaces, narrow ancient streets and colorful market squares. All this diversity is collected in the central part of the city in the old quarter called Medina.
Entrance to the quarter through the old beautiful carved gates. Only here you can hear the cries of street vendors, calling passers-by tourists to buy their goods.
The main mosque of the city
The main attraction of the quarter is the Hassan II Mosque. The height of the minaret reaches 210 meters. The interior impresses with its beauty all visitors.
The building is modern, the construction of religiousThe sights ended only in 1989. The building is so huge that it can easily accommodate 25,000 believers in its prayer hall. Another 80,000 can be accommodated for prayer on the square in front of the mosque.
Interior decoration
The interior is trimmed with white and pink granite,and huge 50-ton glass chandeliers were brought specially from Italy. They hold a column of 78 columns. For the production of a nine-hectare floor, only golden marble and green onyx were used.
In the construction of the latest technology.So the minaret is earthquake-resistant, and the floor in the prayer hall has a heating system. The roof has a special system, which extends when necessary. A laser spotlight is mounted on top of the minaret. With his help in the direction of the Protected Mosque in Mecca, a 30-kilometer green beam is launched.
Another interesting feature of the famous mosqueis the fact that half of its area is located above the ocean. When there is a tide in the Atlantic, believers have the impression that the mosque is floating on the waves. This effect was invented by the architect from France Michel Pinzo, who read the words of the Koran, "The Throne of Allah is on the water," decided to implement them. Especially vivid impression is created when the ocean is stormy and the waves are high.
Five years spent masters on the decoration of halls and columns with mosaic and laying marble floors. This beauty is allowed to look and tourists. After all, not every mosque has access to people of another faith.
Mohammed Square 5
This is the central square of the city, where many official offices are located: the main bank and post office, the Consulate of France and the Palace of Justice.
On the territory of the square there are beautiful flower beds andgardens with a fountain. In the evenings, local people like to gather for walks. All the facades of the buildings overlooking the square are made in neo-Moorish style. The creation of this square was planned by French General McLiota.
Old streets
The tourist will never be able to feel thatis Casablanca, until you walk along the old streets of the city. Only here the ancient small houses can tell about local residents, tell the story of this beautiful city.
The smell of meat shops and freshly baked bread fromLocal bakeries are carried for a whole quarter, and luring visitors to their homes. Try the local cuisine in many cafes right on the street. All the old Moroccan houses have a white coloring of the walls, so the city was called white.
Resort area
Вся береговая линия Атлантического океана built up with luxury hotels, boarding houses and hotels for every taste and budget. Now tourists from all over Europe love to spend time here, swimming in the warm waters of the ocean and sunbathing under the rays of the gentle sun of Casablanca. Detailed information about the city is described in the article, so, as you can see, in addition to rest on the coast there are many remarkable places in the city where you can walk and get acquainted with the cultural heritage of Morocco.
Unforgettable exotic impressions are waiting for you.places, from various motley and colorful products offered by traders in the markets of the city. And the cuisine of Morocco will add variety to your life. After all, sometimes you want something completely unconventional, new impressions and acquaintances.
Visit this wonderful country and its largest city - Casablanca!
