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Article: Believer to Believer The King Hassan II Mosque.
- Article from:
- Faces: People, Places, and Cultures
- Article date:
- February 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Allah's throne was upon the water.
From the Qur'an
Built on a floating platform over the sea, the golden-domed minaret of King Hassan II's great mosque rises more than 600 feet above Casablanca. From the minaret, a 21st-century laser beam that can be seen up to 50 miles away directs the prayers of the faithful Muslims toward Mecca, the ancient birthplace of Islam.
King Hassan II believed that Morocco was "rooted in Africa, watered by Islam, and rustled by the winds of Europe." In 1980, he decided to create a great mosque at the westernmost point of the Muslim world. He picked the waterfront location (three sides are surrounded by the Atlantic ...