Hassan II Mosque
Encyclopedia
The Hassan II Mosque is a religious building in Casablanca
, Morocco
. It is the largest mosque
in the country and the 7th largest mosque in the world. Its minaret
is the world's tallest at 210 m (689 ft).
It stands on a promontory
looking out to the Atlantic
. A total of 105,000 worshippers can gather for prayer at the mosque simultaneously, 25,000 inside the mosque and another 80,000 on the mosque's ground outside.
The building was designed by the French
architect
Michel Pinseau
and built by Bouygues
.
of the Qur'an
that states "the throne of Allah was built on water." Part of the floor is glass and offers a view down at the sea.
This feature was a result of King Hassan II
declaring: "I want to build this mosque on the water, because God's throne is on the water. Therefore, the faithful who go there to pray, to praise the Creator on firm soil, can contemplate God's sky and ocean."
A spotlight shines in the direction of Mecca at night from the top of the minaret. The building also includes a number of other modern touches. It was built to withstand earthquake
s and has heated floors, electric doors, and a sliding roof.
The mosque displays strong Moorish
influence and the architecture of the building is similar to that of the Alhambra
and the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain
. This and the old Tin Mal Mosque
are the only mosques in Morocco that are open to non-Muslim visitors. Anyone are welcome to buy a ticket to view the interior on hour-long guided tours departing several times daily.
All of the granite
, plaster
, marble
, wood and other materials used in the construction, were taken from around Morocco, with the exception of some Italian white granite column
s and glass chandelier
s. Six thousand traditional Moroccan artisans worked for five years to create the abundant and beautiful mosaic
s, stone and marble floors and columns, sculpted plaster moldings, and carved and painted wood ceilings.
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It is the largest mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in the country and the 7th largest mosque in the world. Its minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
is the world's tallest at 210 m (689 ft).
It stands on a promontory
Promontory
Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
looking out to the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. A total of 105,000 worshippers can gather for prayer at the mosque simultaneously, 25,000 inside the mosque and another 80,000 on the mosque's ground outside.
The building was designed by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Michel Pinseau
Michel Pinseau
Michel Pinseau was a French architect. He is known for his conception of the tallest minaret in the world, Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco.-Career:...
and built by Bouygues
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
.
Characteristics
Built on reclaimed land, almost half of the surface of the mosque lies above sea water of the Atlantic. This was inspired by the verseAyah
Ayah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
that states "the throne of Allah was built on water." Part of the floor is glass and offers a view down at the sea.
This feature was a result of King Hassan II
Hassan II of Morocco
King Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
declaring: "I want to build this mosque on the water, because God's throne is on the water. Therefore, the faithful who go there to pray, to praise the Creator on firm soil, can contemplate God's sky and ocean."
A spotlight shines in the direction of Mecca at night from the top of the minaret. The building also includes a number of other modern touches. It was built to withstand earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s and has heated floors, electric doors, and a sliding roof.
The mosque displays strong Moorish
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
influence and the architecture of the building is similar to that of the Alhambra
Alhambra
The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...
and the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. This and the old Tin Mal Mosque
Tin Mal
Tin Mal is a small mountain village in the High Atlas 100 km from Marrakech, Morocco. It is considered the cradle of the Almohad empire, from where the Almohads started their military campaigns against the Almoravids in the early 12th century.- History :With the seizure of Marrakech in 1147,...
are the only mosques in Morocco that are open to non-Muslim visitors. Anyone are welcome to buy a ticket to view the interior on hour-long guided tours departing several times daily.
Works
Work on the mosque was commenced on 12 July 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 30 August 1993. During the most intense period of construction, 1400 men worked during the day and another 1100 during the night. 10,000 artists and craftsmen participated in building the mosque.All of the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, wood and other materials used in the construction, were taken from around Morocco, with the exception of some Italian white granite column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s and glass chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s. Six thousand traditional Moroccan artisans worked for five years to create the abundant and beautiful mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s, stone and marble floors and columns, sculpted plaster moldings, and carved and painted wood ceilings.
See also
- List of mosques
- Islamic architectureIslamic architectureIslamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
- Islamic artIslamic artIslamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations...
- Timeline of Muslim historyTimeline of Muslim history-Gregorian calendar:* 6th Century * 7th Century * 8th Century * 9th Century * 10th Century * 11th Century * 12th Century...
- ZelligeZelligeZellige, zillij or zellij is terra cotta tilework covered with enamel in the form of chips set into plaster. It is one of the main characteristics of the Moroccan architecture...
- TadelaktTadelaktTadelakt or Tadellakt is a bright, nearly waterproof lime plaster which can be used on the inside of buildings and on the outside. It is the traditional coating of the palaces, hammams and bathrooms of the riads in Morocco. Its traditional application includes being polished with a river stone and...
External links
- Hassan II Mosque Article from Sacred Destinations