Casablanca

Casablanca

Situated halfway between Fez and Marakech, Casablanca is the largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. The other important cities are far behind both as regards population and economic importance. Over ten percent of the population of the country lives in this city which contains most of the country's industrial, financial and economic activities.

In the course of the last decades Casablanca has developed considerably. While the population numbered 250.000 at the beginning of the century, it currently counts over three million souls. The demographic growth has been on the increase ever since it was founded.

The precise origins of the city cannot be established for the site seems to have been inhabited in antiquity. A Carthaginian trading post probably existed on the site known as Anfa to the west of the present-day town. History was then to include the villa ge among the small ports occasionally dedicated to piracy. From the time the Arabs arrived in Morocco, Anfa prospered as the capital of the Berber kingdom of the Berghouta. The ALmohad sultan Abd al-Mumin in the end broke the resistence offered by his tribe, Anfa then became a maritime port of call for merchant ships. Subsequently, due to its activities in trade and piracy, Anfa was subect to Portuguese reprisals. It was destroyed twicw, in 1468 and in 151. Sixty years later, the Portuguese rebuilt the city, furnishing it with fortifications and calling it Casa Branca. They stayed here for more than two centuries until the earthquake of 1755 and the unrelenting resistence of the neighboring tribes forced them to abandon the town.

Sidi Mohammed Ben Adbdallah, Alaouite sultan, undertook reconstruction of the town and gave it the Arab name of Dar el Beida. The spanish, authorized to settle there at the end of the 18th century, rebptized it Casablanca and this is the name by which the city is now known throughout the world.

But at that time Casablanca was nothing but a village with less than 700 inhabitants (mid-19th century). Subsequently european tradesman arrived and opened emporiums for buying grain and raw materials for the textile industry, Ships began to stop there and thus, gradually, a regular maritime traffic developed between Morocco and Europe. Merchants and Moroccan craftsmen arrived by the score and settled in what is now the old medina. England, Spain and France sent vice consults to Casablanca.

The population grew and at the beginning of the century numbered more than 20.000 inhabitants. Construction work on the modern port began in 1906. Casablanca became the base for french penetration in Morocco. The massacre of nine port workers in 1907 and the blockade of the French consulate provided the pretext for military intervention.

In 1912 Lyautey decided to transform Casablanca into the principal port of Morocco and the principal seat for the European population. The development of the industrial, financial, commercial and port activities made Casablanca the economic capital of the country.

After World II, industry became particularly important, attracting massive investments of capital. The development of Casablanca, still on the upswing, is particularly favored by its geographical position at the center of Atlantic Morocco. The hinterland is rich, and Chaouia and Tadla have greatly contributed to the expansion of Casablanca. Moreover history has helped in making Casablanca one of the most important economic centers in Africa. From the port of Casablanca the home products are shipped towards the other countries of the world.

Casablanca is moreover the industrial center of Morocco, with more than half of the country's factories. The textile industry is extremely varied and light and heavy industry are also represented. Except for the residential quarters to the south and west, industries are to be found scattered throughout the city. Most of them however are in the quarter known as Roche Noires, near the port.

Since it is a modern town the city naturally has no outstanding historical monuments. Even so it may be interesting to visit the medina, situated in the vicinity of the port, which surrounds the ramparts. The architecture of its houses and the labyrint of lanes offer an interesting contrast with the modern part of the city. It buzzes with activity, in particular in the Rue du Commandant Provost, where the most varied array of articles and products are sold. Crafts are well represented and offer a permanent sampling of products from the regions of Morocco: carpets from Rabat, the Atlas and Souss, embroidery from Fez and Azemour, pottery from Sale and Safi; woodwork from Essaouira and Tetouan, silver jewelry from Tiznit, Taroudant and Tangiers. One can more over admire the Skala and the Dar el Makhzen mosque, which was built in the 18th century, the kouba of Sidi be Smara, the marabout of Sidi Belyout and the sanctuary of Sidi el Kairouani.

Near the old medina, a glassed-in dome with eclectic architecture indicates Place Mohammed V. This is the heart of the city, where the principal arteries cross, flanked by public buildings, shops, restaurants, hotels and cinemas. A Passageway runs underneath making traffic easier. Boulevard Mohammed V is another square famous for its musical fountain with jets of multicolored water,

Place des Nations Unies, the loveliest zone in Casablanca. The buildings display a rational and original style: the Law Courts, set of the Wilaya, dominated by a magnificient tower about 50 meters high, the main Post Office, the Municipal Theatre.

The Avenue Hassan II leads to the Park of the Arab League created at the beginning of the century and providing the city with an oasis of repose, diversion, and a place for promenades. Thetall plams flanking the prospect of the boulevard create a restful environment which constrasts with the animation of the city. Other quarters of the city of interest include the new medina, built at the beginning of the century, with its souks, craftsmen, souvenir shops, the Mahakma or Moslem courthouse, traditional in its style of architecture and decoration, and the lovely Sidi Mohammed ben Yusuf Mosque. The residential quarter of Anfa with its lovely spacious villas climbing up the slope overlooking the coast with hotels, swimming pools, cafes, restaurants and night clubs.

A monument which symbolizes the solidarity, commitment, genius and devotion of the Moroccan people was constructed right on the Atlantic coast.
The Hassan II mosque is a jewel of modern architecture, situated in the heart of the most populated quarters of Casablanca. It prefigures the city's future, positively transforming the urban image. The medina will be rehabilitated, its monuments and walls restored, the commercial center enlarged and improved, large new roads opened, the coast will be newly structured, and the long beach of Ain Diab will recieve still more specialized facilities.
The entire Casablanca is preparing for a fundamental change that will make it not only the most important African metropolises, but also and above all, one of the most beautiful cities of the world on the threshold of the 21th century.