Architecture through the centuries

Ancient Anfa has become Casablanca which is probably the most high tech city in the country. Business, trade, festivals and the relaxed Moroccan life-style… Everything happens in Casablanca!

The origins

In the middle of the 18th century, the Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah decided to rebuild ancient Anfa (the hill), a small Berber 7th century town, from its ruins. You will find a thousand small crafts in the maze of alleys and workshops in the ancient medina which is still partially enclosed by ramparts.

The thirties

Casablanca became the showcase of Art Deco architecture in the thirties. The outlying districts are connected to and organized around the Place de France and the Place Administrative, now respectively United Nations Place and Mohammed V Place. The Habous area, situated 3km away from the city centre, is a new medina intended, in the 1920s, for the rural population attracted by the development of the city. The architectural tradition of the city endures to this day with the inauguration of the Hassan II mosque on the 30th of August 1993, one of the largest (200m high) and most beautiful mosques in the world.

Casablanca today

The hectic Mäarif district personifies modern Casablanca. This, previously modest area situated to the west of the Arab League Park in the shadow of the Twin Center twin towers, has progressively become on of the most prominent districts in the city. Anfa, the Casablanca's upmarket area, is worth visiting. Boulevard Mohammed V, situated towards the city centre, has kept its arcades under which shops and restaurants abound for almost 2km. In the evening, the Aïn-Diab coast road is a must-see. The at times rocky coast between the El Hank lighthouse and Sidi Bou Abderrahmane mausoleum, a small village only accessible at low tide is Casablanca's seaside resort. You can enjoy a drink while admiring a sunset. Later in the evening the discotheques keep things lively in this city with its reputation of never sleeping.