Casablanca represented nothing more than a simple Berber colony attached to the foot of the Anfa hills at the time of the 7th century. However, for strategic and commercial reasons it was still in the sights of foreign powers. Until the day it was sacked in 1468 by the Portuguese, having destroyed the privateer ships of the city.
Thus the Sultanate of Sidi Mohamed ben dar el baïda (White House) in the 18th century, allowed the city to acquire a new meaning. Especially thanks to its port which played a major role in the markets of sugar, tea, wool and corn of the western lands.
In the 20th century, Casablanca experienced its most important change under the French protectorate. Marshal Lyautey, the first resident governor, did everything to make Casablanca the center of Morocco’s economy. He hired urban planners and took care of the modernization of the port. For about 40 years, the best architects have been involved in this project.
Even after its independence, Casablanca continued its expansion and today presents beautiful buildings quite futuristic and a magnificent mosque (Hassan 2) unmissable and one of the few accessible to non-Muslims.
