Casablanca is Morocco’s economic capital and its largest city with its almost three and a half million people. It became famous with the 1942 cult classic from of the same name and with the top cast. Let me just point out two legendary names in particular, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Regardless of its dimensions, Casablanca has still retained the medina or the walled old town that now mostly consists of small shops, markets and catering establishments. Of course, one can’t compare the Casablanca’s medina with the one in Marrakech or Fez, but it’s still packed full of people. But the medina is not why we visited Casablanca. The gem of Casablanca you definitely mustn’t miss out on is the Hassan II Mosque. It’s not only the largest mosque in Morocco but also in whole of Africa and the fifth largest in the world, boasting a 210-metre-high minaret, the world’s tallest. The mosque accepts visitors, though only guided tours that are scheduled in advance and last no more than about 40 minutes.
I didn’t hear a good word about Casablanca before my visit. Instead, I heard a lot about bad traffic and congestion, and that the city has nothing to offer except for the Hassan II Mosque. But, as it often happens, I didn’t listen to the negative voices and it paid off in multitudes. The city is anything but boring. Besides the Hassan II Mosque and the medina, I was mostly captivated by the centre of the city that’s busier and more dynamic than many European metropolises, and yet it’s still more reminiscent of a European rather than an African city. Regardless of it’s European feel and numerous restaurants with European food, there are also those that serve traditional Moroccan, Arab and other delicious food.
If you decide to visit Casablanca, I suggest that you book a room in Casablanca Youth Hostel, situated on the outskirts of the medina, a 15-minute walk from the city centre and a little more to the Hassan II Mosque.
An important fact about Casablanca concerns the climate, as the city, just like other cities along the Atlantic coast, is very pleasant even during the summer months. The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean means very mild climate and daily summer temperatures are up to 10 degrees lower on average than in most European cities and that’s quite refreshing.
Marrakech is a city that began developing right after Fez and has a very similar layout accordingly. What’s more, Marrakech’s geographic location contributed to its quick development and soon after to the development in the centre of the region. Marrakech therefore remained the centre of the southern part for quite some time, similar to Fez being the centre of the northern part. That was exactly why choosing Rabat as the country’s capital was quite a judgment of Solomon.
But let’s trace back to Marrakech, the city with the largest market in northern Africa – Jemaa el-Fnaa, which is located at the entrance to the medina or the walled old town full of shops, restaurants, hotels, workshops, mosques as well as private apartments. The market outside the medina doesn’t really paint a different picture either, though, so don’t get surprised if you stumble upon snake charmers who occasionally like to joke about the scared tourists. If you want to avoid the incredible hustle and bustle, head to the medina early in the morning when it’ll be easy to drive through the streets with a car. Yes, the same streets that are almost impossible to make your way through in the afternoon or evening, even on foot. And if one doesn’t get lost in the labyrinth of streets and is still left with enough time and energy to continue exploring, then I suggest visiting the following attractions:
The old Dar Menebhi Palace houses the Marrakech Museum with its collection of old coins, tools, paintings, ceramics, books and much more.
The Bahia Palace, the name of which means brilliance, has an interesting history. The sultan ordered it to be built for his favourite servant and it’s now thought to be the greatest masterpiece of its period.
The Menara gardens are tourist attraction number one in Marrakech and can be the first landmark to visit as it’s located just a 15-minute walk from the Marrakech airport. And if you pick the right season to visit Marrakech, you can admire the Menara gardens with the snowy Atlas Mountains as a backdrop.
Besides the three above mentioned sights, there are many others in Marrakech, such as the Kutubiyya Mosque (the city’s largest), the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the El Badi Palace, a “secret” garden, the Saadian Tombs and, of course, the numerous city gates that are anything but entrance to the city.
But your entrance to the city will be the airport, the train station or the bus station. And if it’s one of the latter two, then the location of the hostel you can book here will be perfect for you. The hostel is located in close proximity of the train station as well as the intercity bus station, and costs less than 10 euros.
A word of caution, though. Marrakech is a highly touristy city and everyone is trying to sell something or just demand a tip for a service that has been declined multiple times. And if offering services and selling items at the market is something completely acceptable, it becomes very annoying in other parts of the city.
With the next issue, where we’ll visit the capital city and provide tips for further exploration of Morocco, we’ll conclude this travelogue.
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