Coordinates: 33°36′26.43″N, 7°37′57.22″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Hassan II Mosque

Hassan II Mosque Interior

From the inside

The Hassan II Mosque (Arabic مسجد الحسن الثاني, French Mosquée Hassan II) is a mosque located in Casablanca, Morocco. It was designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau and is the second largest in the world (after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca). It is sited on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret is also the world's tallest at 210m. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 2117 KB) Date: December, 2005 Location: Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco, Africa Author: Rosino on Flickr Source: 82664690 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Casablanca Hassan... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 2117 KB) Date: December, 2005 Location: Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco, Africa Author: Rosino on Flickr Source: 82664690 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Casablanca Hassan... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (681x1024, 495 KB) Date: December, 2005 Location: Morocco, Africa Author: Rosino on Flickr Source: 82664692 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hassan II Mosque ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (681x1024, 495 KB) Date: December, 2005 Location: Morocco, Africa Author: Rosino on Flickr Source: 82664692 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hassan II Mosque ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1288 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hassan II Mosque Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1288 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hassan II Mosque Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... The Badshahi Masjid in Lahore, Pakistan with an iwan at center, three domes, and five visible minarets A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... Mosquée Hassan II à Casablanca Satellite image of Casablanca Casablanca (Spanish for white house ; Standard Arabic: الدار البيضاء transliterated ; Moroccan Arabic: dar beïda) is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... Masjid al Haram Al-Masjid al-HÌ£arām (Arabic: ‎ The Sacred Mosque), is a large mosque in the city of Mecca. ... Mecca IPA: or Makkah (in full: Makkah al-Mukarramah; Arabic: ‎, Turkish: Mekke) is the capital city of Saudi Arabias Makkah province, in the historic Hijaz region. ... The term promontory has several similar meanings in English, including geographical names: A promontory is a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water (e. ... The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of the Earths surface. ... Minarets (Arabic manara منارة, but more usually مئذنة) are distinctive architectural features of Islamic mosques. ... The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ...

Characteristics

Built on reclaimed land, almost half of the surface of the mosque lies over the Atlantic water. This was inspired by the verse of the Qur'an that states "the throne of God was built on the water". Part of floor of this facility is glass so worshippers can kneel directly over the sea; above, lasers shine at night from the top of the minaret toward Mecca. Ayah ( , plural Ayat ) is the Arabic word for sign or miracle. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran (the traditional term in English), and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... For alternative meanings see laser (disambiguation). ... Minarets (Arabic manara منارة, but more usually مئذنة) are distinctive architectural features of Islamic mosques. ... Mecca IPA: or Makkah (in full: Makkah al-Mukarramah; Arabic: ‎, Turkish: Mekke) is the capital city of Saudi Arabias Makkah province, in the historic Hijaz region. ...

It also includes a number of modern touches: it was built to withstand earthquakes and has a heated floor, electric doors, a sliding roof. Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998. ...

The mosque displays strong Moorish influence and the architecture of the buliding is similar to that of the Alhambra and the Mezquita in Spain. This and the old Tin Mal Mosque are the only mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim tourists. For the terrain type see Moor Moors is used in this article to describe the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. For other meanings look at Moors (Meaning) or Blackamoors. ... View of the Alhambra from the Mirador St Nicolas in the Albaycin of Granada. ... Interior of the Mezquita Mezquita, (from Arabic مسجد Masjid), is Spanish for mosque. This article deals with the one in Cordoba, Spain. ...

Works

Work on the mosque was commenced on July 12, 1986, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king, Hassan II, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until August 30, 1993. King Hassan, pictured late in life. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

All of the granite, plaster, marble, wood, and other materials used in its construction were taken from around Morocco. 6,000 traditional Moroccan artisans worked for five years to turn these raw materials into abundant and incredibly beautiful mosaics, stone and marble floors and columns, sculpted plaster moldings, and carved and painted wood ceilings. Venus de Milo, front. ... For other meanings of the term, see column (disambiguation). ... // Gypsum plaster Plaster of Paris, or simply plaster, is a type of building material based on calcium sulfate hemihydrate, nominally (CaSO₄)₂*H₂O. It is created by heating gypsum to about 150 ℃, 2(CaSO₄ · 2H₂O) → (CaSO₄)₂ · H₂O + 3 H₂O (released as steam). ...

The sole exceptions are the white granite columns and the glass chandeliers.

Criticism

Many Moroccans have mixed feelings about Hassan II Mosque. On one hand, they are very proud that this beautiful monument dominates their city. On the other, they are aware that the expense (estimates range from $500 to 800 million) could have been put to better use and they resent the fact that the building of the mosque necessitated the destruction of a large, run-down section of Casablanca, whose residents did not receive any compensation.

See also

• Islamic architecture
• Islamic art
• List of mosques
• Timeline of Islamic history

Islamic architecture, a part of the Islamic studies, is the entire range of architecture that has evolved within Muslim culture in the course of the history of Islam. ... Islamic art is the art of Islamic people, cultures, and countries. ... A list of mosques around the world: // Id Gah Mosque in Kabul Kabul Masjid Qalb-e-Herat Rawze-e-Sharif Al Fateh Mosque is Bahrains largest mosque Khamis Mosque believed to be the first mosque in Bahrain Baitul Mukarram Binat Bibi mosque High Court Mosque Sixty Pillar Mosque Tara... There is much more to Muslim history than military and political history; this particular chronology is almost entirely of military and political history. ...

External links

• Casablanca location map
• Pictures of Hassan II Mosque December 2003
• Pictures of Hassan II Mosque April 2001
• The Hassan II Mosque by Frederic Mitterrand

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Hassan II Mosque