Casablanca

Casablanca, more commonly known as " Casa " is a dynamic showcase of modern Morocco . Real economic and financial engine of the national economy , it now generates 50 % of the National GDP. Its port attracts three quarters of national, international airport is the first in the country . The metropolis also undergoing a transformation of its economy and today deploys its assets in the tertiary and services sector , especially in technology.

In a century , the modest town of Anfa became a metropolis of over four million people and one of the largest cities in Africa. But if Casa was born in the early 19 th century, the site was occupied for a long time : they found in Sidi Abderrahmane , near Anfa , the remains of a Neolithic settlement . In 17 th century the Phoenicians made ​​the site a step on the road to Essaouira . The city will know its resurgence thanks to Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah giving it a large mosque and Zaouïas and then took the city of Dar el- Beida , the "white house ."

It is from 1781 , when the Spanish settled here counters that the Spanish translation , Casa Blanca, spread . European traders settled there and in the early nineteenth century , the French get the Sultan Abdelaziz build a port. Casablanca, considered the first port of Morocco from 1920 , it also became in 1925 the first stop airlines Latécoère ( future Aeropostal ) connecting Toulouse to Dakar

After the establishment of the Protectorate , Lyautey and his architect Henri Prost engage in the implementation of modern city building wide boulevards lined with large and beautiful buildings . It is in this city that will be built the first factory and will launched the first union. In 1950 , Casablanca is a dynamic commercial center whose urban experiencing a boom . Unions , which have set up their seats, play an important role in the nationalist struggle , especially during the 1952 riots and insurrections of 1953 and 1955.

The unforgettable film " Casablanca ," Michael Curtiz in 1942 , starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart made ​​the city famous worldwide . We spake of Casablanca when Marcel Cerdan , who grew up in the neighborhood of Sea Sultan , became world champion boxing in 1948. A year later , he died in a plane crash when he was about to marry the singer Edith Piaf.

After the independence of Morocco in 1956, Casablanca remains the economic hub of the country, while Rabat is the political capital. The city continues to grow and now exceeds three million inhabitants. Urban Management Greater Casablanca is the real challenge for the twenty-first century city.

Hassan II Mosque

Inaugurated in August 1993, she became the symbol of Casablanca even throughout Morocco. Located on the seafront, facing the Atlantic Ocean is the second largest mosque in the world after Mecca. All related statistics are disproportionate. We note the ability of the court that can accommodate up to 100,000 believers and prayer hall around 25,000. Its cost was fully funded by donors Moroccan volunteers. It is built of white marble and the tour is open to non-Muslims.