The
Hassan II Mosque ( ), located in Casablanca
is the largest mosque in
Morocco
and the third
largest mosque in the world after the Masjid al-Haram
(Grand Mosque) of Mecca
and the
Al-Masjid
al-Nabawi
(Prophet's Mosque) in Medina
.
Designed
by the French
architect Michel
Pinseau and built by Bouygues.
It stands
on a promontory looking out to the
Atlantic
, which can
be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000
worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the
mosque's adjoining grounds for a total of 105,000 worshippers
present at any given time at the Hassan II mosque. Its
minaret is the world's tallest at .
Characteristics
Built on reclaimed land, almost half of the surface of the mosque
lies over the Atlantic water. This was inspired by the
verse of the
Qur'an that states
"the throne of God was built on water." Part of the floor of this
facility is glass so worshippers can kneel directly over the sea;
above, spotlights shine at night from the top of the minaret toward
Mecca. These features were specifically requested by
King Hassan II, who declared, "I want
to build this mosque on the water, because God's throne is on the
water. Therefore, the faithful who go there to pray, to praise the
Creator on firm soil, can contemplate God's sky and ocean."
It also includes a number of modern touches: it was built to
withstand
earthquakes and has a heated
floor, electric doors, and a sliding roof.
The mosque
displays strong Moorish influence and the
architecture of the building is similar to that of the Alhambra
and the
Great Mosque
of Cordoba
in Spain
.
This and
the old Tin Mal
Mosque
are the only mosques in Morocco open to
non-Muslims. Non-
Muslims may view the
interior on hour-long guided tours that depart several times
daily.
Works
Work on the mosque was commenced on 12 July 1986, and was intended
to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king,
Hassan II, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until
30 August 1993. It took 2,500 construction workers and 10,000
artists and craftsman to build the mosque.
All of the
granite,
plaster,
marble, wood, and
other materials used in its construction were taken from around
Morocco, with the sole exceptions of some white granite
columns and the glass
chandeliers, both of which come from Italy. Six
thousand traditional Moroccan artisans worked for five years to
turn these raw materials into abundant and incredibly beautiful
mosaics, stone and marble floors and columns,
sculpted plaster moldings, and carved and painted wood
ceilings.
Gallery
Image:Hassan II mosque1 (js).jpg|"His Throne Was On
Water"Image:Hassan II mosque2 (js).jpg|MinaretImage:Hassan II
mosque5 (js).jpg|FountainImage:Hassan II Mosque in the evening
(js).jpg|Hassan II Mosque in the eveningImage:Hassan II mosque6
(js).jpg|Mosque at nightImage:Morocco Africa Flickr Rosino December
2005 82664692.jpg|Interior of the MosqueImage:Hassan II
mosque2.jpg|Minaret and BaseImage:Hassan II
Mosque01.jpgImage:Hassan II Mosque02.jpgImage:Hassan2.jpg
See also
References
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search