The relaxed rhythm of life on the sandy beaches bordering Casablanca is in total contrast to the pulsating activity of the city itself. "Casa", economic capital of the country and the Kingdom’s most important port, is the thriving centre for a whole range of trades and industries, the personification of modern Morocco. The country’s largest city, it contains a wealth of attractions.

Casablanca is remarkable for its number of Art Deco buildings and villas, vestiges of the French protectorate and for its administrative centre, Place Mohammed V. Designed in 1920, this superb square includes much architecture in the neo-Moorish style favoured by the Protectorate: the Prefecture, Law Courts and Post Office. The nearby Ligue Arabe Park, Casablanca’s largest green space, is perfect for visitors wishing to escape the incessant bustle of the streets.

The Anfa residential district, located just behind the corniche at the foot of the Anfa hill, is the poshest district in Casablanca, containing some of the most beautiful houses. In January 1943, the famous Anfa Conference, held in one of these luxurious villas, attended by Churchill and Roosevelt, decided on the date of the landing of the allied forces in Europe under the operation code name of Overlord.

In the heart of Casablanca, perched amidst the shrubs on the Anfa hill the splendid Anfa Royal Golf Course stretches over 2,710 metres for a par of 35. You will need to employ all your skill and imagination to negotiate the flowers and trees which are an integral part of the fairways.

The maritime conditions (heavy swell and strong current) which made access to the port so risky induced the French to build a lighthouse on the rocky promontory at its western entry at the start of the 20^th century. Once the highest building in the city, it has now been supplanted by the minaret of the Hassan II Mosque.

"I want a mosque at the extreme west of the Muslim World," declared King Hassan II. So it was that in 1980, a start was made on the building of this sumptuous monument. The mosque rose up over the sea, in the south of the city, on the site of the former municipal swimming-pool. At the top of the minaret towering 200 metres above the city, a laser beam visible 35km away, indicates the direction of Mecca. With its inauguration on 30 August 1993, Casablanca, in a style worthy of the Pharaohs, perpetuated the tradition of architectural research and technical innovation, which has characterised the White City since its foundation.

The fishing port, whose entrance stands just near Centre 2000, a pedestrian precinct full of up market boutiques and restaurants, is a-bustle early in the morning with large-scale auctioning off of the catch. The port as a whole is the economic heart of Casablanca. It was built almost entirely by the French at the start of the 20^th century, a complex covering 180 hectares and protected by the famed 3,180m Moulay Youssef jetty. It includes many docks, shipyards, a sailing port, a railway station, as well as boarding points for tourist ships.

This major shopping street is lined with buildings from the 1930s, of great character and of European and Oriental inspiration. Decorating the walls of this once very fashionable boulevard, multicoloured zellij attests to the important part Moroccan craftsmen played in the construction of buildings designed by the French. The Central Market located on the boulevard is open every morning, overflowing with fresh produce .

Designed in 1920 by the architect Joseph Marrast, the square houses Casablanca’s administrative centre. It is surrounded by elegant buildings adorned with arcatures, their white facades surfaced with light-coloured stone. The Wilaya (Prefecture) and the former Law Courts were built here in 1925. Erected in 1930, the 60-metre tower flanking the prefecture is equipped with a siren sounded every evening during Ramadan to announce the end of fasting, and from the top, you can take in city and port at a single glance. In the centre of the square stands a large circular fountain which is lit up at weekends in a spectacular display of music and colour .

Located on Boulevard Mohamed V, the Central Market is open every morning, overflowing with fresh produce .

Little remains of the old Muslim city. Partly destroyed demolished in the 1755 earthquake, it was not until fifteen years later that the rebuilding was undertaken under the auspices of Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah. The medina was once bordered by ramparts stretching as far as Souk-El Kebir. Only vestiges of these still stand, on the edges of Place des Nations Unis. The Old Medina as it is now was largely built in the 19^th century, with both Arab-Islamic and western style architecture.

This building, designed by Marius Boyer, one of the finest architects ever to have worked in Casablanca, closes off the south end of the former administrative centre. Inaugurated in 1937, completing construction of the square, the building is dominated by a 50-metre tower which provides a magnificent view over the city. It is located across from the fountain, at the very centre of Place Mohamed V, on Avenue Hassan II.

A wide palm-fringed promenade runs through the centre of the former Lyautey Park was laid out in 1918. This huge area of greenery, abounding with shaded arcades, pergolas and café terraces, is a favourite spot for Casablanca strollers. Surrounded by gardens at its north end, stands the former Cathedral of Sacré-Coeur, built in 1930 by Paul Tourron. No longer a place of worship, the cathedral has been used as a storage facility and as a concert hall, and is currently in use as a theatre.

Construction of this marble building started in 1948 and was completed in 1952. With no fewer than sixty rooms, the building served the Pasha of Casablanca both as a Muslim Court and as a place of reception. The edifice is now used for administration purposes.

Built at the end of the nineteenth century in the north of the Old Medina, the Koubba (dome) of the Marabout of Sidi Belyout, the city’s patron saint, dominates a small cemetery. Legend has it that sickened by the ways of mankind, Sidi Belyout blinded himself and spent the rest of his days as a hermit in the forest, living among wild beasts. Animals stood guard over his mortal remains until they were buried. He was nicknamed Abou Louyout (Father of Lions).

Casablanca’s most important streets lead off this esplanade which links the old city to the new. The square was originally laid out at the start of the 20^th century, then redesigned and extended in the 1950s, to answer the needs of east-west traffic flow. Alongside Bab Jedid, the entrance to the Old Medina, stands the famous Clock Tower commissioned by Commandant Dessigny in 1910, as a way of introducing the populace to colonial time and order. The original tower was destroyed in 1940 and rebuilt in 1992. Across the square from the clock stands the Excelsior Hotel whose founding in 1920 marked the introduction of the modern hotel business to Casablanca.

You can discover at the very heart of the city a new commercial and business centre: the first one in the history of Casablanca. It covers a surface area of 13,500 m², with twin towers rising to a height of 110m, proudly symbolic of the new business Casablanca. This integrated and dynamic whole, containing more than 43,000 m² of office space equipped with cutting edge technology, fosters the development of economic operators set up there. The commercial complex is spread over five levels including the basement. The centre’s public car parks can take more than 450 vehicles. Casablanca Twin Center, defining a new architectural scale for the city, is a lofty landmark standing out in stark white contrast to the blue of the sky, while remaining in keeping with the city’s spirit, vitality and the colour of its name.

Due to its proximity to the city of Casablanca (about 20 km), the Dar Bouazza seaside resort tends to attract locals and nearby residents who fill up the restaurants, chalets and camp sites every weekend. Surfers flock there on a regular basis and also for the annual competition. Moreover, in this small village, large fully equipped seaside resort complexes have just been completed.

Standing at the mouth of River Oum-er- Rbîî, about 17 km away from El Jadida, the town of Azemmour, former capital of the Doukkala, still has a medieval feel about it with its narrow streets and its ochre-hued ramparts dominating the river.

In the 15th century, the town appears to have been an essential trade stopover for the Portuguese who, after several attempts, managed to seize it in 1513, but, were unable to hold onto it for very long, being put out by the Saadians in 1541.

Erected by the Portuguese on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, the site was considered to be the best shelter on the whole western coast of Morocco, owing to its well-preserved ramparts. Visitors can find three centres of attraction in El Jadida: First the old Portuguese city with its covered way marked by three bastions and an old underground cistern ( where Orson Wells shot scenes of Othello), then the seaport, also equipped by the Portuguese, and last, one of the most marvellous beaches in the country, the safe beach, with no current, which explains its reputation as a seaside resort.

"Aroussat Chaouia" (bride of the Chaouia) is the nickname given the delightful town of Benslimane, located between Rabat and Casablanca, at the very the heart of the Chaouia plain. Nature has showered it with gifts, the two most precious being a wonderfully mild climate and very fertile soil which produces cereals, fruits and vegetables in abundance and large areas of which are cultivated as vineyards. Even within the town itself, in its avenues and gardens, this relationship with nature remains intense and predominant. Benslimane is a haven of peace and relaxation, giving pleasure all year round.

Mohammedia, known before as Fedala, is still an integral part of Casablanca. It was named in 1960 by the late King Mohammed V. It’s second industrial town of the Kingdom, and its seaport has been booming considerably since the 30’s because of its local Oil Industry and related Commerce. In addition, its seaside is an attractive resort for foreign business people and most particularly for the Moroccan elite of the neighboring cities, owing to its important hotel infrastructure, casino, marina, and numerous beaches.

Located 35km from Casablanca city centre, Mohamed V airport is the cornerstone of the Kingdom’s international and national air traffic. Over fifty scheduled flights a day link Morocco to almost all European countries, the United States of America, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and the rest of the Maghreb. The airport, its two terminals covering a total surface area of 41,000m² and hub for the national airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM), will be undergoing major expansion in the years to come.

Located about 45 kilometres from Mohammed V Airport, the town of Settat has become the capital of the Chaouia plain, a region rich in agriculture providing a large part of the country’s cereal production and developing other activities in its surroundings such as textiles and foodstuffs. As the town is set in a region of plains, forests and hills, it has many leisure parks, hunting reserves, hotels, a dam for fishing and water sports and beautiful golf courses.