In the mosque, which was built as a memorial in honor of the 60th anniversary of King Hassan II of Morocco, everything is special. She stands on an island of land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. Its four-sided minaret soared up to the sky for 210 meters, it is the tallest in the world. The mosque was built not in the capital Rabat, but in the second most important city in Morocco - Casablanca. Non-Muslims are allowed to enter this mosque.
The construction began in 1980. King Hassan II dreamed of building one of the greatest mosques in the world on the very coast of Africa, on the ocean coast. The decision to build a mosque in Casablanca was determined by the fact that over 3 million people live in the city, much more than in the capital, Rabat. Casablanca is the main industrial center of the country and the leading commercial city throughout North Africa. All large-capacity vessels call at the port of this city. And the first thing they see from afar is the towering minaret.
As an architect, the king invited the Frenchman Michel Pinceau, the author of many famous objects in Paris and also a close friend of the king. Pinso built the royal palace in Agadir, the university in Ifan, mansions in Rabat. He knew the tastes of the king. But when they calculated the necessary funds for the construction of the most outstanding mosque, the figure approached $ 1 billion. The leaked information about this caused discontent in the society. Morocco is not a rich country to build such expensive structures, even if it is a mosque for all Muslims. It was proposed to spend these funds to improve the life and infrastructure of the poorest areas of the city. But the king did not want to give up the idea of building a mosque, which was to become the pride of Morocco and the entire Muslim world.
In densely built Casablanca, there was not enough space for the construction of such a grandiose structure. In addition, the king had a favorite phrase from the Koran that the throne of God was on the water. Therefore, it was decided to create an artificial island.
Pinsot designed the mosque so that the one looking at it had the impression that it was not only the throne of God, but also a ship with a high mast that glides over the waves.
The mosque was opened in August 1993. It is the second largest after the famous mosque in Mecca Masjid al-Haram, but the minaret was on top. Today he has no equal in the world. The prayer hall has 78 pink granite columns and white marble and green onyx tiles. Overhead, there are one and a half ton chandeliers made of Venetian glass. The roof at a height of 60 meters is covered with bright emerald tiles. If necessary, it expands, and then the entire prayer hall, which can accommodate 25 thousand people, is filled with sunlight.
