With the ability to accommodate 25,000 worshippers inside and another 80,000 in its courtyard, Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque is a truly monumental complex right next to the sea. It covers a site of 9 hectares (22 acres), making it the world’s second largest religious building after the main Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca. Commenced in 1980 and opened in 1993, it has been the inspired work of French architect Michel Pineau and some 35,000 Moroccan craftsmen. The amazingly ornate minaret is the world’s tallest, standing 210m (656ft) high while two laser beams reach 30km (18.5 miles) towards Mecca. The vast prayer hall even has a sliding roof that can be opened to the heavens.
