morocco again8 casablanca the mosque hassan ii ceilings

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Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque, designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau, situated on a promontory on the Atlantic. Its minaret is the world's tallest at 210 metres. The mosque is also the largest in North Africa, and the third largest in the world. The prayer hall is built to a rectangular plan of 200 metres length and 1,000 metres width, with three naves. The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca was completed in 1993 after great expense and artistic labor

The central hall is undulating with a succession of numerous domes from which glass chandeliers (50), imported from Murano, are hung

Ornately carved Atlas Mountain cedar adorns the ceilings. The ceilings are made of cedar wood because it is the best wood to use on a building beside the sea.  Cedar is used for most items, from carved jewellery boxes and picture frames to hefty carved chests, doors and ceilings. There are intricate designs carved into the wood. Coverings marble and granite Moroccan origin represent 50 hectares in size with an average thickness of 14 cm

The prayer hall is topped with a mobile roof 3400 m2 and 1,100 t, which can move in five minutes through a rotation system drive, illuminating the hall with daytime sunlight and allowing worshippers to pray under the stars on clear nights 

The roof covering required the installation of 300,000 tiles

specially made, mimicking the clay

roof tile glazed traditional Fez, but

four times lighter. These tiles

have made a weight gain of 65%

compared to traditional tiles with

much higher reliability

performance

Mohamed V

Cedar wood carved ceiling

Domes cedar were fixed on frames made with 971 tons of stainless steel and suspended from the reinforced concrete structure 

Hassan II

For finishing and religious objects, artisans throughout the kingdom helped cover over 53 000 m2 of carved and assembled more than 10,000 m2 zellij representing 80 original patterns. Carved and painted plaster was completely worked on site by 1500 maâlems over 67,000 m2 

When the roof is closed, the prayer hall is illuminated by 50 chandeliers

and sconces of Venetian

Murano. The most impressive

measure six meters in

diameter, ten feet high and weigh

1,200 kilograms. Speakers and

lights were designed with the

assistance of Philips

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Sanda Negruțiu Internet pag1 and 2Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

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