This is the Hassam II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. Begun in 1986, it was finished in 1993. Six architects, five Moroccan and one French, designed the impressive structure built upon the sea according to an inspiration received by Hassam II in his study of the Koran. The granite came from Sweden and the marbles from Italy, Morocco and the Sahara. The tower is 200 meters (600 feet) high, and hydropower opens and closes a movable roof. Only the mosques at Mecca and Medina are larger.
20,000 workers labored 24 hours (three 8-hr. shifts) to create this mosque. Artisans numbered more than 4,000. All of the plaster- and cedar-work were hand-done; the doors are titanium and bronze; and natural dyes provide the color. 120,000 people can pray here at one time.
The baths in this mosque reflect a Turkish influence. There are three pools of different temperatures and one begins with the warmest.
In a downtown market you can find horsemeat,
Rabbit and ?,
A vast array of olives,
Or produce.
The selection, while different from home, is varied and flavorful.
Bon appetit.
2 comments:
I love the olive photo. A friend in Seattle has one of the large plastic bins as a rain water collector. He picked it up from a Greek deli in Seattle where it had previously been filled with capers. It's hard to imagine so many olives and capers--it such an exotic food for us.
I won't show Leah the picture of the horse meat shop...
Great pictures, Becky -- thank you!
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