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Rabat and Casablanca have been the heart of modern Morocco since 1912, when the French took over the administration of the country and decided to establish two capitals, one political in Rabat , the other economic in Casablanca . The two cities had long been settled, but they had a minor role, as far as cities go, in Moroccan history. The French colonial decision changed that.

 

 

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Rabat was founded in 1150 by the Almohad Sultan Abd al-Moumen on a small village north of Sala Colonia (now the Chellah necropolis). He built what is now the Kasbah Oudaia, while his grandson, Sultan Ya'qub al-Mansour built the fortresses as he wanted to turn the town, named Ribat al-Fat'h, or Victory Camp, into a launching pad for his military conquests of Spain. The city's other Almohad fortifications, such as the kasbah, the old Medina , and the downtown walls, were finished by Abu Yussef al-Mansour, the third Almohad sultan. The death of Yaqub al-Mansour in 1199 ended work on the Tour Hassan and Rabat retreated into along period of decline. In the 14th century, the Marinids chose this site for their necropolis. The city revived in the 17 th century with the influx of refugees from Christian Spain and corsair activity in nearby Sale . In 1641, the three cities on the Bou Regreg estuary— Rabat , Sale and Kasbah Oudaias—were united and incorporated by the Alawite king, Moulay Rashid.

The unfinished Hassan Tour and Mosque was built between 1195 and 1199 by Sultan Ya'qub al-Mansour. Its minaret, whose top is accessible through a ramp, was intended to rise 260 feet, while the mosque, with 21 aisles, would have accommodated 40, 000 worshippers. The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 exacerbated the deterioration of this religious site. Only 350-stone column stumps survive to bear witness to what might have been the second biggest mosque in the world, after the one in Samarra , Iraq . Here Mohammed V presided over first Friday prayer after his return from exile and declaration of independence.

Designed by a Vietnamese architect, Vo Toan, construction of the Mohammed V Mausoleum on the Hassan Tour complex began in 1961 and ended in 1971. The mausoleum is fast turning into an Alawite necropolis, since both Prince Moulay Abdellah and the late King Hassan II are buried here. During the funeral procession of King Hassan II (attended by a phalanx of world leaders), the mausoleum was displayed live on CNN, but the commentator wasn't familiar with its history at all. Most of the materials and craftsmanship were imported from Fez.

A national library is being built.

 

 

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Although many people dismiss Casablanca as a modern city without historical interest, this perception reveals people’s imagination more than anything the city lacks. The city has a long history. It was a Phoenician trading center and the port has always been active. The heterodox Barghwata Berbers who rejected Islam settled in Anfa (hill) and successfully resisted attacks by the Idrissids and the Ummayyads until the Almoravids shattered their power in 1068. The Marinids built the town in the 14th century and turned it into a trading center. After the defeat of Islam in Spain and the expulsion of Muslims from that country, Anfa turned into a haven for Muslim corsairs who extended the jihad to the ocean, attacking and plundering loaded Spanish and Portuguese vessels. In 1575, the Portuguese built a fort at Anfa, partly to protect the route to Mazagan (Al Jadida), but the port was destroyed during the great earthquake of 1755 (known in history as the Lisbon Earthquake). Soon after that, the great Alawite Sultan, Sidi Mohammed ben Abdellah, built the Medina and named it Dar al Beida (House of the White Princess), probably in honor of Allal al Kairaouan’s daughter Lalla Beida. The town was raided by the Spanish in 1781. By the middle of the 19th century, wool and corn were shipped out of Anfa to Britain, while the British sent a whole variety of items, including tea. Chosen by the French to be the country’s economic nerve center, it soon became known as the “African Marseille” after Lyautey and his main architect, Henri Prost, built large avenues and beautiful buildings. Now, of course, Casablanca is the biggest city in the Maghreb and one of Africa’s biggest ports.

Architects Henri Prost and Marrast designed most administrative buildings in Place Mohammed V (old Place des Nations Unies) in the 1920s. They helped define the neo-Moorish style of colonial architecture. The Palais de Justice; French Consulate (statue of Mareshal Lyautey); Prefecture; post office; and Bank Al-Maghrib are good examples. Nearby are the Parc de la Ligue Arabe (Arab League Park) opened in 1918, the Cathédrale du Sacré Cœur (designed by Paul Tornon in 1930), and further south is the church of Notre Dame de Lourdes (finished in 1956).

The Nouvelle Medina was built by the French. The mosque in Place Moulay Yussef was built by Mohammed V in 1938. The Dar al-Basha in the Habous quarter was built by the French and finished in 1952.

On the July 8, 1988, King Hassan II addressed the nation and asked all Moroccans to contribute to the construction of Mosque Hassan II, a monumental project. On the evening of August 30, 1993, which was also the occasion of the Prophet's birthday, the King gathered the representatives of the whole nation to celebrate in the newly built mosque. Hassan II had supervised every step of the operation.

The mosque, built over 24, 000 square yards, almost a third of which on the Atlantic Ocean, is now the second biggest in the world after the Great Mosque of Mecca. (It would have been inappropriate to exceed the size of that mosque.) But its 650-foot minaret is the highest in the world; indeed it is higher than any other religious edifice in the world, higher even than any pyramid and the Eiffel Tower.

The mosque has 124 fountains, 50 chandeliers of Venetian glass (one of few imported items), and its high-tech minaret is modeled after the Almohad Koutoubia in Marrakech. A laser atop the minaret beams green light in the direction of Mecca.