WHERE IN THE WORLD: CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

Travel notes from the tour zone with George Fontana

The ancient Berber city of Anfa became Casa Branca under Portuguese rule and later Casa Blanca as a French ‘protectorate”. Today Morocco is a constitutional monarchy whose citizens speak both Arabic and French. We toured the Grand Mosque which can accommodate 25 thousand worshippers (the population of Key West), and during Ramadan (the ninth month of the Muslim year) the Mosque’s exterior plaza can host an additional 100 thousand believers. At 600 meters, its minaret is the tallest in the world. The impressive entrances to the Royal Place, located in the residential Quartier des Habous, are of classic Moorish design. The Abderrahman Slaoui Foundation Museum is the former residence of discriminating French-Moroccan art patrons who left their home and its exquisite collection of original “Orientalist” posters, paintings, pottery, furnishings and jewelry to be shared with the public. It is a treasure. At United Nations Square, colorfully costumed Berber “watermen” posed for a photo. Traditionally the watermen carried water in goatskins which they sold to thirsty wanderers. Today they are a photo op. We passed numerous iterations of Rick’s Bar, the best is at the Hilton Hotel, but once again, Bogie was nowhere to be seen.

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