Morocco is Casablanca’s Hassan II
Mosque. It’s the world’s fifth-largest
mosque, so you won’t be cramping
anyone’s style.In addition to ancient fortress walls,
3m- to 6m-high border barriers wrap
the Mediterranean towns of Ceuta and
Melilla. Spain and Morocco dispute
their sovereignty, and local
architecture does nothing to resolve
the conflict: the Spanish point out
Andalusian elements, which
Moroccans will certainly remind you
developed under Almohad rule.prime real estate in town centres with one wall facing Mecca.
Mosques provide moments of sublime serenity in chaotic cities
and busy village market days, and even non-Muslims can sense
their calming influence. Towering minarets not only aid the
acoustics of the call to prayer, but provide a visible reminder of
God and community that puts everything else – minor spats, dirty dishes, office politics – back
in perspective.
Mosques in Morocco are closed to non-Muslims, with two exceptions that couldn’t be more
different: Casablanca’s sprawling Hassan II Mosque and austere Tin Mal Mosque nestled in the
High Atlas. The Hassan II Mosque was completed in 1993 by French architect Michel Pinseau
with great fanfare and considerable controversy: with room for 25,000 worshippers under a
retractable roof and a 210m, laser-equipped minaret, the total cost has been estimated at €585
million, not including maintenance or restitution to low-income former residents moved to
accommodate the structure (the cases are still apparently pending). At the other end of the
aesthetic spectrum is the elegant simplicity of Tin Mal Mosque, built in 1156 to honour the
Almohads’ strict spiritual leader, Mohammed ibn Tumart, with cedar ceilings and soaring arches
that lift the eye and the spirits ever upward.
Muslims assert that no Moroccan architecture surpasses buildings built for the glory of God,
especially mosques in the ancient Islamic spiritual centre of Fez. With walls and ablutions
fountains covered in lustrous green and white Fassi zellij (ceramic-tile mosaic) and mihrabs
(niches indicating the direction of Mecca) swathed in stucco and marble, Fez mosques are
purpose-built for spiritual glory. When vast portals are open between prayers, visitors can
glimpse (no photos allowed) Fez’ crowning glory: Kairaouine Mosque and Medersa, founded in
the 8th century by a Fassi heiress. Non-Muslims can also see Morocco’s most historic minbar
(pulpit): the 12th-century Koutoubia minbar, inlaid with silver, ivory and marquetry by Cordoba’s
finest artisans, and housed in Marrakesh’s Badi Palace.
Ramparts
Dramatic form follows defensive function in many of Morocco’s
trading posts and ports. The Almoravids took no chances with
their trading capital, and wrapped Marrakesh in 16km of pink
pisé (mudbrick reinforced with clay and chalk), 2m thick.
Coastal towns like Essaouira and Assilah have witnessed
centuries of piracy and fierce Portuguese–Moroccan trading
rivalries – hence the heavy stone walls dotted by cannons, and
crenellated ramparts that look like medieval European castle
walls.Riads
Near the palace in Morocco’s major cities are grand riads, courtyard mansions where families
of royal relatives, advisors and rich merchants whiled away idle hours gossiping in bhous
(seating nooks) around arcaded courtyards paved with zellij and filled with songbirds twittering
in fruit trees. Not a bad set-up, really, and one you can enjoy today as a guest in one of the
many converted riad guesthouses in Marrakesh and Fez.
So many riads have become B&Bs over the past decade that riad has become a synonym
for guesthouse – but technically, an authentic riad has a courtyard garden divided in four parts,