2 Best Sights in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco

The area of the city bordered by Avenue des FAR, Place des Nations Unies, Place Mohammed V, and Avenue Abdullah Al Mediouini contains the remaining examples of Mauresque and Art Deco architecture built by the French in the early years of the Protectorate (1912--56), when Casablanca was the jewel in the French Empire's crown. While much has been lost, the city is restoring large swathes of these buildings including the Central Market and the enormous Hotel Lincoln, both on Boulevard Mohammed V. Some excellent examples are Le Petit Poucet bar also on this boulevard, the Cinema Rialto on Rue Bouchaib, and the Bank al Maghrib on Boulevard de Paris. Many apartment blocks in this area sport pretty wrought-iron balconies and swags of cement flowers and fruit on the buildings.

Also known as the New Medina, the Quartier des Habous was built by the French in a 1930s tourism drive, to offer a sanitized version of a "real" medina. Today it's a curiously attractive mixture of French colonial architecture with Moroccan details. Capped by arches, its shops surround a pretty square with trees and flowers. As you enter the Habous, you'll pass a building resembling a castle; this is the Pasha's Mahkama, or court, completed in 1952. The Mahkama formerly housed the reception halls of the Pasha of Casablanca, as well as a Muslim courthouse; it's currently used for district government administration. On the opposite side of the square is the Mohammed V Mosque—although not ancient, this and the 1938 Moulay Youssef Mosque, in the adjacent square, are among the finest examples of traditional Maghrebi (western North African) architecture in Casablanca. Look up at the minarets and you might recognize a style used in Marrakesh's Koutoubia Mosque and Seville's Giralda. Note also the fine wood carving over the door of the Mohammed V. The Habous is well-known as a center for Arabic books; most of the other shops here are devoted to rich displays of traditional handicrafts aimed at locals and tourists.

This is the best place in Casabalanca to buy Moroccan handicrafts.

You can also purchase traditional Moroccan clothes such as kaftans and djellabas (long, hooded outer garments). Immediately north of the Habous is Casablanca's Royal Palace. You can't go inside, but the outer walls are pleasing; their sandstone blocks fit neatly together and blend well with the little streets at the edge of the Habous.