Swim in the warm waters of the Oualidia lagoon (Click here ), before gorging on local
oysters for lunch
Hang out with trendy locals in Casablanca’s smart pavement cafes (Click here )
Kitesurf the day away on Essaouira’s blustery beach (Click here )
Twitch in Moulay Bousselham (Click here )
Gaze at the murals in Assilah’s medina (Click here )
Marvel at the water cistern in El-Jadida’s Cité Portugaise (Click here )
Imagine yourself as a Roman at the ancient site of Lixus ( Click here )
Look up in Casablanca at the glorious Mauresque buildings (Click here )CASABLANCA (DAR AL-BAÏDA)
POP 4 MILLION
Many travellers stay in Casablanca just long enough to change planes or catch a train, but the
sprawling metropolis deserves more time. It may not be as exotic as other Moroccan cities, but
it is the country’s economic capital, and it represents Morocco on the move: Casablanca is
where the money is being made, where the industry is, where art galleries show the best
contemporary art and where fashion designers have a window on the world. The old pirate lair
is looking towards the future, showing off its wealth and achievements.
The first French resident-general, Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey hired French architect Henri
Prost to redesign Casablanca in the early 20th century as the economic centre of the new
protectorate and, indeed, as the jewel of the French colonies. His wide boulevards and modern
urban planning still survive, and mark the city as more European than Moroccan. However,
Lyautey underestimated the success of his own plans and the city grew far beyond his
elaborate schemes. By the end of WWII, Casablanca had a population of 700,000 and was
surrounded by heaving shanty towns.