4 Best Sights in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco

Casablanca's skyline is dominated by this massive edifice, decorated with magnificent zellij (mosaic tiles). The building's foundations lie partly on land and partly in the sea, and at one point inside you can see the water through a glass floor. The main hall holds an astonishing 25,000 people and has a retractable roof so that it can be turned into a courtyard. The minaret is more than 650 feet high, and the mezzanine floor (which holds the women's section, about 6 feet above the main floor) seems dwarfed by the nearly 200-foot-high ceiling. Still, the ceiling's enormous painted decorations appear small and delicate from below.

Funded through public subscription, designed by a French architect, and built by a team of 35,000, the mosque was erected between 1987 and 1993 and is one of the largest in the world, its minaret being the tallest. It was built in Casablanca primarily so that the largest city in the kingdom would have a monument worthy of its size. Except for the ruined Tinmel mosque in the High Atlas Mountains, this is the only mosque in Morocco that non-Muslims are allowed to enter. One-hour guided tours of the mosque are offered daily (six per day, Saturday to Thursday; four on Friday). There are reduced hours during Ramadan. Be sure to dress conservatively, and note that you will be required to remove your shoes at the entrance.

If you fly out of Casablanca, try to get a window seat on the left for a good view of the mosque in relation to the city as a whole.

A few steps from the tomb of Sidi Abdellah ben Hassoun is the great mosque known as Djemâa Kabir. Built by the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century, this beautiful structure is the third-largest mosque in Morocco, after the Hassan II in Casablanca and the Kairaouine in Fez. Non-Muslims cannot enter.

Beyond the Portuguese Cistern on Rua da Carreira is a fine old mosque, and its original construction makes it one of the focal points of the city. The beautiful white minaret is unique in that it has five sides, all with rounded edges.

Rabat's largest and most important mosque was originally erected in the 18th century. Since then it's undergone various rebuildings but has nonetheless been sheltered from architectural anarchy, retaining its beauty and dignity to this day. The French had wanted to extend Avenue Mohammed V through the site; however, Moroccans resisted. Thanks to the martyrs of that confrontation, the mosque still stands on its sacred ground. Non-Muslims may not enter.