Second largest mosque in the world, a photo from Casablanca, North

Photographer's Note

Continuing my little series on religious places, here it is the imposing Hassan II mosque, located in Casablanca (Dar Beοda in Arabic).

It was designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau, its construction began in 1986 and ended in 1993. Its name comes from the former King of Morocco, who had the idea of building the cathedral, inspired by a verse of Qur'an that states that "the throne of God was built on the water". For that reason, the mosque was built on terrains reclaimed to the Atlantic sea and actually half of it lies over the sea.

The mosque proper may accommodate 25000 worshippers and the courtyard has capacity for another 80000. Besides being the largest mosque after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the minaret is the tallest in the world, at 210 meters / 689 feet. It is one of the only two Moroccan mosques whose interior can be visited by non-Muslims, although those visits only can happen in guided tours scheduled several times a day.

Some argue that the King also wanted to give to Casablanca a world class monument. The city is the largest of Morocco, its population surpassing 3 millions (some say more than 5 millions), and the economic capital of the country, but it lacked a monument at level with its importance. The famous "Rick's Cafe" of Humphrey Bogart's character in the film "Casablanca" never existed, at least before 2004, when a bar with that name was opened very close to this mosque (just 5 min walking to the right of the image).

Casablanca hasn't much to offer to the visitors when compared to other more ancient towns of the country. The town only became truly important in the times of the French Protectorate (when Morocco was effectively ruled by the French during the first half of the 20th century), so much of the older parts of the city actually date from that period and although they have some charm, with their tree lined well planed streets and some colonial buildings, that is far from enough to attract visitors. The origin of the name of the city is Portuguese, who built a fort there in the early 16th century and called it "Casa Branca" (white house). "Casa Blanca" and "Dar Beοda" mean the same in Spanish and Arabic.

Location (latitude, longitude): 33.60715,-7.6325

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Links to the other posts of the series: Sanctuary of Fatima (Christian, Portugal), Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit (Thailand), Pashupatinath (Hindu, Nepal) and El Ghriba synagogue (Jewish, Tunisia).

pat0500, torre, Tue, Docarmo, paura, riclopes, ribeiroantonio, lucasgalodoido, siolaw, Charo, danos, parbo, edytungkal, axiotea, Emile, luisafonso, jlbrthnn, jhm, mikeo, jmcl, xuaxo, adores, ruisc_pt, crckt, JCG, Didi, robertosalguero, jwmunro, cfreire, kyzer έχουν(ει) επιλέξει αυτή τη σημείωση ως χρήσιμη

Critiques | Translate

pat0500 (21561) 2008-02-02 14:38

Hi Jose,
Very good framing of the mosque, good sharpness and good note..!
Very pretty blue sky in the background..!
Well done,
Patrick

torre (932) 2008-02-02 15:06

Olα Josι. Ficou bem esse belo monumento recortado no azul do cιu. Tem aspecto limpo e arrumado. As cτres e definiηγo estγo σptimas.
Saudaηυes
Arlindo

Tue (92482) 2008-02-02 15:20

Hi Josι,
Excellent photo with a fantastic light and beautiful colours. The very blue sky works great as the background for the warmly coloured architecture. It looks like an impressive place, particularly with that tall tower. Wonderful work, thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

dilane (861) 2008-02-02 15:26

Bonsoir voisin de page
Sur la page galerie, c'est cette photo qui a retenu mon attention. La mosquιe est si belle et le ciel si bleu - trθs belle photo d'architecture, et excellente nettetι -
bonne soirιe -
daniel

jmdias (115280) 2008-02-02 15:37

zι

gosto destes fortes contrastes entre o cιu e a mesquita. O minarete estα na posiηγo exata. Belo pov e compo

jorge

Docarmo (9767) 2008-02-02 17:52

Olα Josι,
Interessante arquitetura, numa bela exposiηγo aqui nesta imagem, que valoriza cada detalhe da construηγo, num ponto de vista estratιgico.
Parabιns!
MC

paura (25802) 2008-02-02 17:52

J.Pires,
Essa tua lente ι um portento, amigo. Ajustes de cores e de iluminaηγo muito bons. O ponto de tomada tambιm estα excelente.

Beleza de trabalho.

Paulo

riclopes (35577) 2008-02-03 0:09

Olα Josι, esta tambιm estα muito boa. Adoro ver aquela pessoinha a caminhar para cα. Depois descobrem-se outras mais pequenas ainda, mas aquela ι o elemento de escala aqui. Lembro-me de ter gostado disto, mas tambιm me lembro de ser um bocado descaracterizado e demasiado fora de escala. A foto estα muito simples, muito limpa e com uma cores fantαsticas. Ι quase minimalista. Que tens a dizer, comparativamente ao espaηo de Fαtima? Sγo dois espaηos gigantescos para receber grandes multidυes. Gostaste mais de um ou de outro, ou nγo sγo comparαveis?
Bom Domingo de Carnaval,
ricardo

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2008-02-03 0:15

Uma visita guiada a uma mesquita nγo me perturba nada. Atι acho aconselhαvel na medida em que se tem alguιm a explicar as coisas que se vγo vendo. O que na realidade me "perturba" ι nγo me deixarem entrar. Toda a gente pode entrar nos templos das outras religiυes menos nas mesquitas. Nγo ι estranho?
Estα uma foto muito bonita com uma nitidez espantosa e cores maravilhosas. Aquelas pessoas dγo a escala necessαria ΰ avaliaηγo da grandeza do local.
Antσnio

Zolive (5935) 2008-02-03 0:51

Salut Josι
Magnifique vue de la grande mosquιe, le minaret est grandiose. Les couleurs sont superbes. Bravo.
Olivier

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2008-02-03 1:22

Olα Josι,
um lugar muito bonito e amplo essa mesquita, gostei da ausκncia de pessoas tambιm, alιm do belo contraste de cores e nitidez. Bom trabalho.
Parabιns e Abraηo!

siolaw (38294) 2008-02-03 2:34

Hi Jose,
I know the mosque, and i think it is almost bizarre they chose a non muslim to build the mosque! The architect did a good job anyway, keeping the Maghrebine style in his coonstruction. Colors and sharpness are excellent here and the presentation is clean and natural looking
;D
Laurent

Charo (51290) 2008-02-03 3:13

Hola Jose,
La plaza es grandiosaa con unas hermosas arquitecturas. La torre de la mezquita es preciosa. La luz y el contraste de colores es estupendo y casi se respira la limpieza de la atmσsfera.
Un abrazo
Charo

UnTrained (0) 2008-02-03 5:54

Olα Josι,
superb wide capture of this complex architecture with a great deep blue sky in different shades. Good sharpness and clarity to have all those details and also some very small life for scale. You managed that harsh light perfect to have details everywhere.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

emilbo (22616) 2008-02-03 9:52

Olΰ Jose!
Supperbe image et excellente composition, Les couleurs de terre des ιdiffices s'harmonisent parfaitement avec le merveilleux ciel bleu. Excellente qualitι d'image aussi et bonne note.
Fιlicitations!... et bonne semaine,
Emilius

batalay (41261) 2008-02-03 13:28

Hello Josι,

The buff-colored stone against the deep blue sky makes this a lovely image, the remarkable minaret 210 meters high, indeed must be several times taller than than the second highest minaret. The Washington Monument is a mere 166 meter (555 feet), dwarfed by this structure, which must be visible from a great distance, especially in that clear and pristine air.

Warm regards and have a good week. Here in the US, today is the Superball, that will pit the two to (American) football teams. You cannot imagine how the streets and highways are empty, with Superball parties being hosted everywhere.
Bulent

siislam (290) 2008-02-03 15:17

Beautiful picture, good colour contrast, thanks for sharing.
Regards
Syed

danos (110407) 2008-02-03 15:44

Ola Jose,
yes i know this place very much.The Hassan II mosque really is impressive and a miracle of the architectural.The contrasted colours are superb.I shot this place 2 hours before the sunset and i had not recorded such vivid colours and light.Informative your note.

have a nice week,Danow

parbo (11092) 2008-02-03 17:37

Hi Jose,

The architecture of mosque reminds me my days in Saudi Arabia. This is same way in many countries using open areas for more prayers (as extension of main building).

Your very well chosen POV gives enough information about style of mosque. Details and pink colors at facade are very nice.

Friendly Regards,

Ertugrul

edytungkal (4551) 2008-02-03 19:45

Hello Jose,
Nice picture for your religious place's series, they were built with wonderful architectures and this mosque complect is one of these. Perfect clear blue sky as bg.
Great series Jose...

daniel

axiotea (21651) 2008-02-03 19:51

Olΰ Josι
Belle prιsentation de cette Mosquιe avec son beau minaret, recouvert, ΰ certains endroits, de cιramique bleue et qui domine bien la scθne. Tu as choisi un bon moment, car ici la mosquιe semble κtre dιsertιe et je peux apercevoir que 2/3 personnes. J'aime beaucoup les couleurs...merci por la note bien dιtaillιe.
Amicalement
Marilyn

Emile (20352) 2008-02-03 19:52

Hola Jose.
Una magnifica composicion con un color del cielo estupendo y la impresionante arquitectura, me gusta mucho tu punto de vista que nos permite ver de una manera amplia el complejo arquitectonico de la mezquita. Felicitaciones.
Un fuerte abrazo y cariρos a la familia.

Stepan (27210) 2008-02-03 23:17

Simple (and even minimalist in the compo) but stunning because the place is like that. Great light and colors. I just wonder why you didn't correct the distorsion.
Stιphane

luisafonso (862) 2008-02-04 1:47

Linda! Estα muito boa esta foto Josι. Sou um apaixonado pela arquitectura islβmica e mesmo nunca tendo ido a Marrocos estas fotos impressionam-me sempre. O cιu azul ι perfeito. Permite que a arquitectura seja o centro das atenηυes e eu gosto disso. A luz estα muito boa para dar um efeito 3D aos edifνcios. E aquelas "formigas" sγo fundamentais para dar escala ΰ cena. Gosto muito.

jlbrthnn (76043) 2008-02-04 3:41

Bom-dia Josι,
o Teu tema sobre os monumentos religiosos emblemαticos ι magnνficos. Esta imagem ι uma grande realizaηγo, sobre a qual a definiηγo ι perfeita. Excelentes cores tambιm. A nota estα instructive e muito completa. Bravo.
Passa um bom dia.
Cordialmente
Joλl

jhm (211736) 2008-02-04 4:20

Olα Josι,

What a very good picture, with this big square and the nice mosque surround with the wonderful buildings.
Excellent photo with a fantastic light and beautiful colours and good quality.
Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
John.

mikeo (12129) 2008-02-04 9:08

Hello Jose,

Thats amazing. I would love to see this place...so maybe one day I will succeed. Everywhere I go I try to see as much mosques as possible but of course as none Muslim no way to go inside...:(

This one looks excellent and your note is superb!
Beautiful composition, good POV and incredible light.
Greetings
Mikeo

COSTANTINO (116604) 2008-02-04 13:25

Ciao Jose,
bellissima prospettiva Archittetonica ,
con bel POV,ottimi colori,
Complimenti
Cri saluti,
Costantino

ElAprendiz (30) 2008-02-04 17:55

Hola Jose

El punto de vista es muy agradable, para visualizar dentro de la composiciσn las bellas formas geometricas que da la arquitectura.

El manejo de la luz es muy apropiado para iluminar toda la escena, el cielo de tono azul intenso, contrasta muy bien con los tonos terracotas de las paredes. Gran equilibrio, felicitaciones

John

jmcl (14535) 2008-02-04 18:17

Hi Jose,

This is one of those images I didn't think much of from the thumbnail .. but it is very nice one I have seen it .. striking .. the depth and the scale are tremendous .. really well composed .. the ant like people are great. .. the blue artwork against the blue sky is a wonderful and subtle effect ..

take care,

John

sothy81 (9646) 2008-02-04 20:46

This is beautiful. A very well contrasted color image. I really love this deep blue. Very sharp one. Well done. Sothy

meltemi (0) 2008-02-05 0:54

Olα Josι,
architectural details are simply stunning, excellent point of view, giving an excellent angle on the structure, great work with light.
Well framed image, congratulations.
Stella

xuaxo (6854) 2008-02-05 10:33

Olα Josι,
Impressionante, realmente. Aquelas "pessoazinhas" lα ao fundo nγo deixam dϊvida.
Sim, jα me tinha constado que esta mesquita era sobre as αguas. Mas quem precisa de mar com este inacreditαvel cιu super-azul? Magnνfico!
Sσ um detalhezinho: parece-me que o minarete estα ligeiramente inclinado.
Um abraηo,
F

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-02-05 14:41

Oi amigo ,
Que beleza de praηa com esta mesquita fabulosa tem uma arquitectura muito bela , a torre central com aqueles desenhos azuis esta fabuloso , parabιns!!!
Um abraηo Gonηalo

gracious (20025) 2008-02-06 9:10

Hello Jose,
What a awesome view of this magnificient Mosque well captured!
good pov with perfect sharpness, good colour and superb details in it
TFS and the useful notes
greeting
Tony

vincz (19113) 2008-02-06 10:25

Tres interessante photo avec toute cette place laisse a ce magnifique ciel bleu ou s'elance ce minaret un peu atypique je trouve. Le belu du ciel, le rose desbatiments tellement aplatis sur le sol a cote de ce si haut minaret, c'est tres etonnant.

adores (46979) 2008-02-06 17:37

Olα Josι!
Boa foto da Hassan II!Pov muito bem escolhido e umas cores fabulosas. Gosto do minarete ΰ esquerda e das pessoas, bem pequenas, ao fundo.A luz estα muito boa, nem parece que foi tirada em Julho num local desses. Bem conseguida!

mikolaj_kawa (0) 2008-02-07 1:21

Ola Jose! Wonderful architecture. Amazing composition. Fantastic lightness. Very good contrast. Beautiful capture. Saude!

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ruisc_pt (11594) 2008-02-07 7:12

Mais um avez .. cα tou eu..
parece que usaste o um filtro polarizador, pese embora nγp o tenhas feito.
Uma imagem imponente a mostrar, maiu sum avez no "terηo" que mais aprecio a cultira mourisca.
Um ab
R

crckt (7222) 2008-02-07 19:27

Hi Jose,
AWESOME! So sharp, crisp..with delightful colors. Your notes are also really well written, a lot of research goes in it. Even when you critique, it shows that you know what you're talking about. Good to learn from you. Going back to your shot, this is indeed a fascinating place, will add it to my theme.
Regards,
Shaeri

JCG (35153) 2008-02-09 8:44

Hi Josι,

First of all and before commenting on the photograph, thank you for this extremely instructive note and which makes it possible to better appreciate the image. Very good point of view on this minaret which is detached well on this limpid blue sky. This deserted place increases the impression of space. Clearness and the light are very appreciable. Beautiful work Jose, cheer.

With all my friendships and a very good WE,

Jean-Charles

Didi (61589) 2008-02-10 0:56

Bonsoir Josι
J'apprιcie cette luminositι du ciel qui met bien en valeur cette magnifique mosquιe.
Le point de vue est parfaitement choisi.
Et je confirme que la correction de la perspective n'est pas ιvidente.
Amitiιs.

robertosalguero (292) 2008-02-11 0:11

Olα Josι,

The architectuee of mosques is very beautiful. I reallu like their details and style. I think they definitely left a good legacy in the Iberian Peninsula. The blue sky in this image is awesome. An excellent contrast to the warmer colours of the mosque. Thanks Josι.

Roberto

jwmunro (286) 2008-02-13 15:55

Hello Jose -

This is a very nice image with the soft sandstone colors against the bright deep blue sky. You have a pleasing composition with all of the technical details right where they belong. To me there are two things that should have been addressed in this image - the image is slightly skewed to left - enough to be noticeable. I also think that since you used a WA lens the minaret needs to transformed to vertical. Addressing the tilt might fix the minaret.

Thank you for sharing.

John

guillaumejm (0) 2008-03-01 7:17

Bonjour josι,
une trθs belle photo. j'aime comment tu as mis cet espace gigantesque en valeur. Un ciel d'une puretι absolue qui est parfait ici.
une belle rιussite et une note trθs intιressante.
Amicalement
JMarc

cfreire (11741) 2008-03-08 14:54

Oi, Josι
Passeando por sua galeria, que estα σtima, me deparei com esta foto que muito me chamou atenηγo pela intensividade que as formas arquitetonicas cortam este cιu, de um azul ϊnico. Aqui, em Brasνlia, tem uma mesquita, e qualquer dia postarei para vocκs. Gostei deste impacto grαfico das linhas e retas, no ar. Valeu. Consuelo

chicca (356) 2008-07-18 7:41

Ciao Jose,
davvero un bellissimo posto che sei riuscito a catturare alla perfezione.

Federica

[2]

Photo Information

Copyright: Jose Pires (stego) (24132)
Genre: Τοποθεσίες
Medium: Έγχρωμο
Date Taken: 2006-07-24
Categories: Τελετή, Αρχιτεκτονική
Camera: Olympus E-300, 14-45 mm Zuiko Digital, UV
Έκθεση: f/9.5, 1/180 δευτερόλεπτα
More Photo Info: view
Map: view
Έκδοση φωτογραφίας: Πρωτότυπη έκδοση
Οδοιπορικό: Morocco 2006
Θέμα(τα): Mosques and Minarets - An Outside Look, Religions, Religion, Religions, !Top rated, Fascinating Places, Mosques around the world (I) (Arab countries) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-02-02 14:28
Αγαπημένα: 2 [view]

Viewed: 15281

Points: 92

Discussions

To ribeiroantonio: Entrar em mesquitas (1)
by stego, last updated 2008-02-03 04:55
To riclopes: Comparaηγo com Fαtima (2)
by stego, last updated 2008-02-04 04:59
To xuaxo: Minarete inclinado (1)
by stego, last updated 2008-02-05 04:57
To Stepan: Correction de perspective (1)
by stego, last updated 2008-02-05 05:37
To jwmunro: Skew, perspective (1)
by stego, last updated 2008-02-13 05:43

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