The Grand Mosque Hassan II is the sight most worth seeing in Casablanca.  If you also have time to visit the interior, here’s all you need to know about your visit: opening times, prices, dress code, and visitor rules.  

Casablanca is a large industrial port city, with little of interest to the visitor.  But if you are arriving in Morocco or leaving from Casablanca Airport, it is well worth visiting the Grand Mosque Hassan II.  It is the largest mosque in Morocco and the seventh largest in the world. It has the tallest minaret in the world at 210 metres, the equivalent of 60 stories high. The mosque stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. Its walls are of hand-crafted marble and the sea bed is visible through the glass floor of the building’s main hall.

The mosque was built to celebrate the 60th birthday of the late King Hassan II, who personally selected the craftsmen from samples of work that they presented to him. These included decorative plasterwork, carved wood, zellige (mosaic tiling), marble, tadelakt (polished and engraved plaster), and copper.  The samples can now be seen in the mosque’s museum.

If you don’t have much time in Casablanca, Sahara Atlas Tours can take you to visit the mosque and see it from the outside, which is very impressive.  It’s great for photo opportunities!

If you have more time, the Grand Mosque is the only mosque in Morocco that can be visited inside by non-Muslim visitors.  This has to be done on a guided tour, which takes around 45 minutes, and visitors are advised to arrive around 30 minutes earlier to buy their tickets. You can also visit the museum to see the samples of work presented to Hassan II by the craftsman, so allow time if you want to do this.

Prices: The current entry price (2019) is 130Dh (approx. 12€) per person for the mosque only, 30Dh (approx. 3€) for the museum only, and 140Dh (approx. 13€) combined ticket for the mosque and the museum.  Reduced rates apply for children and students. Check up-to-date prices here.

Visiting times: The tours usually run Saturday to Thursday at 9am, 10am, 11am, 12 noon, and 2pm or 3pm in the afternoon, depending on the time of year and the Ramadan period.  On Fridays, tours run only at 9am, 10am, and at 2pm or 3pm in the afternoon.  Up-to-date visiting times can be found here.

Please ask your Sahara Atlas Tours driver-guide to check if you wish to visit, as the mosque closes on certain religious holidays.  It can also close without notice for VIP visits or for security reasons.

Dress code and visitor rules: The most important rules to know in advance are that:

  • You must wear clothes that cover the shoulders, torso and come below the knees. Shorts, sleeveless clothes, and clothes showing the midriff are not allowed at all.
  • You must remove your shoes before entering the mosque and take them with you, as you will leave via a different exit. Bags are available at the entrance of the mosque to carry your shoes in. It’s worth taking a pair of socks with you to wear during your visit.
  • Taking videos is not allowed inside the mosque.
  • For the complete visitor rules, see here.