Here's Looking at You, Kid!

Last weekend, a group of 25 students from my program ventured outside of Rabat for the first time.  Although our directors have organized several trips for later in the semester, this one was entirely student-planned.  Luckily, we were going to Casablanca, which is only about a one-hour, $4 train ride from Rabat, so the trip was easy to put together. 

Hassan II Mosque's minaret

Since the most common response to my plans to study here was to ask when I would visit Casablanca, this blog entry was essential, but be advised that the city might not be what you’re imagining from the classic film.  Although Casa (as Moroccans call it) has its charming parts, it mostly serves as the country’s economic hub and consequently is filled with busy streets and tall buildings.

An exterior hallway at the mosque

The tallest building of all (in fact, in all of the country) is the Hassan II Mosque.  Occupying several acres of space along the Atlantic coastline, this mosque is the 3^rd largest in the world, smaller only than others in the heart of Mecca.  Its minaret reaches 210 meters and is equipped with a laser beam pointing towards Islam’s holiest city.  The mosque must host millions of worshippers each year, and there is plenty of space for them all.  At its most crowded, the mosque can contain 25,000 people (20,000 of whom are men) indoors and 80,000 in its outdoor courtyards.  To give you an idea of the scale, it would be possible to fit Paris’ Notre Dame or Rome’s St. Peters inside.  During busy times like Ramadan, people arrive up to four hours early to claim a space in the prayer hall, and to keep the place cool, the roof retracts in under 3 minutes.  Part holy space, part sports stadium—but then again, I know some SEC fans might argue that they aren’t very different at all!

The split in the roof is where is opens on sunny days

What inspired such grandeur?  The mosque was completed in 1993, just in time to commemorate the 60^th birthday of its namesake king.  It took 6,000 workers six years of nonstop work in order to complete it, and the fruits of their handiwork are evident in every corner.  With the exception of some Italian marble and glass and Russian titanium, all of the materials are from Morocco.  Cedar from the forested countryside resists saltwater erosion and termite damage, while granite from the Atlas Mountains forms solid walls.  The overall impression is impossible to capture in words or photographs.  Of all the places I’ve seen, this was one of the most remarkable ones yet.

Windows that look out on the Atlantic

For those of you who are fans of the film, know that I tried my best to eat at Rick’s Café.  Unfortunately, we arrived between lunch and dinner, which meant that it was closed, but I did get to peek through the windows.  In the long run, it probably benefitted me to walk away.  I’m sure the place would have been way overpriced!

Daily life keeps passing at a non-stop pace.  We’re in our second week of formal class, and we’ll leave this Saturday for our first big trip.  As a group, we will go to the south for a week, which means I’ll finally get to ride a camel!  Every day is filled with so many new experiences, and I wish that I could fit more of them in these posts.  More updates later!

Outside Rick's Cafe