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| Casablanca
(classical
Arabic name: الدار البيضاء,
transliterated ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ,
"the white house", dar beïda in dialectal Moroccan Arabic) is a
city in western
Morocco,
located on the
Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 2.95 million (September 2004 census), Casablanca is Morocco's biggest city; also it is the chief port, and is thus considered the economic capital, although Morocco's official capital and seat of government is Rabat. Casablanca is located at . The French period New Town of Casablanca was designed by the French architect Henri Prost and was a model of a new town at that time. The main streets of the New Town radiate south and east from Place des Nations Unies, where the main market of Anfa had been. The New Town is possibly the most impressive in Morocco. Former admistrative buildings and present-day hotels populate the area. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque and Art Deco styles. Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque, designed by the French architect Michel Pinceau. It is the second largest in the world (after the Shah Faisal Mosque near Islamabad). It is sited on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres. Work on the mosque was started in 1980, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of former the Moroccan king, Hassan II, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugerated until 1993. It is the only mosque in Morocco which is open to non-Muslims. The Parc de la Ligue Arabe is the city's largest public park. On its edge is situated the Cathedrale du Sacré Coeur, disused, but a splendid example of Mauresque architecture. The Old Medina (the part of town pre-dating the French protectorate) attracts fewer tourists than the medinas of other Moroccan towns, such as Fez and Marrakesh. However, it has undergone some restoration in recent years. Included in this project have been the western walls of the medina, its skala, or bastion, and its Ottoman-period clock tower. The city is served by Anfa Airport and Mohammed V International Airport, and its port is one of the largest artificial ports in the world.
Source: Wikipedia |
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