Casablanca: An overview - Part 1

In Casablanca you will find a mixture of cultures and periods like no other. There are architecture treasures such as the great Hassan II Mosque, which gleams with gold in the sunlight. In this large and sprawling city which is completely packed full of people you will also find the bustling Ancienne Medina. This term translates roughly as ‘old town’ and in this case the mainly walled area should not be missed.

Casablanca is situated on the Atlantic coast of Morocco and it is the country’s largest city. It is also Morocco’s, as well as North Africa’s main shipping port. Cruise ships now arrive every day so that their passengers can experience its frenetic lifestyle, stylish restaurants, shopping, its fine food and its overall atmosphere.

The city will forever be famous thanks to Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, in the 1942 film of the same name. Casablanca is the capital of Morocco in all but name as Rabat actually has that honour. Casablanca is widely regarded as the more important city due to its substantial economic, commercial, industrial and shipping activities. It is these activities that have given parts of the city a more modern 21st century feel. This is especially noticeable around the Boulevard Brahim Roudaini where there are modern new business centres. These in turn have helped to create new areas where you can find fine dining restaurants and other cultural events. All of this is in stark contrast to the tiny streets of the Old Town. Here you find the bustling souks where dusty traditional and colonial style buildings are all you can see.

The name of the city derives from Casa in Spanish and Dar el Baida in Arabic, to give us Casablanca which in English translates to ‘white house’ but the reason has been lost in history.

The city has a very colourful history and this was most notable during the Portuguese occupation in the 15th century. This was because they wanted to stop pirates using the port to launch attacks on their shipping fleets. Then the city was virtually destroyed by an earthquake in 1755 at which time the Portuguese lost interest. The city was reborn under the Moroccan leader Sidi Mohammed III’s extensive renovation plans and to this day it still bears some of his landmark buildings.

The Casablanca of today is a great place to visit and one of the best ways to get the full impact of the city is to fly in and see the city from the air. The city skyscape stretches to the horizon in all directions and will be something that you remember for a long time.

Continued in part 2