Casa
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2008
1
44
58
Trip End
Nov 27, 2008
Casablanca, Morocco
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Imperial Cities of Morocco (Rabat, Meknes, Fez and Marrakesh) were all at some stage the capital of the various Arabic Dynasties that have ruled Morocco for centuries, following the flow of Arabs from the Middle East in the 7th century in order to spread Islam. Prior to the arrival of the Arabs, the local Berbers were living a nomadic existence in Morocco. The Arab and Berber people have blended together over time (although there are still some pure Berbers in the mountains), and only now is there a move to attempt to retain the Berber language, history and customs for posterity. Morocco thus has a very Middle Eastern flavour, tempered, however, by both Spanish and French influences, with the return of Muslims from Andalucía in the 15th Century as a result of the Reconquest of Southern Spain and the period during which Morocco was a French Protectorate (1912-1956). The National Language is Arabic, but the vast majority of locals are also fluent in French. Many also speak one of the Berber dialects, while some of the pure Berbers only speak the Berber language.
In Casablanca, we visited the Hassan II Mosque, a modern Mosque built by the father of the current King. The Mosque was quite different from other mosques I have seen, and is the second largest after the one in Mecca. Inside holds 25000 people while the square outside can accommodate a further 80000. Casablanca lies on the coast, and the Mosque is built partly over the water, a wonderful setting for it. There is a large accompanying library, still in its final stages of construction, for people to come and learn more about the religion of Islam.
