Casablanca: Hassan II Mosque and the Atlantic at Sunset

Casablanca faces northwest into the Atlantic Ocean on the Moroccan coast. The Hassan II Mosque (1993), the largest mosque in Africa, is built on a rocky promontory directly over the Atlantic: the 210-metre minaret, the tallest in the world, rises above the ocean and the mosque platform extends over the water on three sides. At sunset, the western Atlantic sky turns behind the mosque and its reflection pool — the most photographically concentrated monument in Morocco. The Art Deco district downtown, built during the French Protectorate (1912-1956), has ornate facades that catch warm late-afternoon light from the west. The Corniche promenade along Ain Diab beach, 5 kilometres southwest, faces northwest directly into the Atlantic for unobstructed sunset. At 33.6°N, golden hour lasts about 30 minutes. October through March gives the clearest Atlantic sky and the most dramatic storm light over the water.