Construction of the Hassan II Mosque began in 1987 – the same age as me, costing more than $500 million – and I have never seen that much money in my life. Covering an area of 9 hectares, one-third of which was built on the sea, it is built to commemorate the arrival of Moroccan Arab ancestors from the sea.
The first time I saw it, I was deeply impressed by its grandeur and instantly understood why it was called "a pearl in the Atlantic".
The main body is built in white marble, decorated with blue-green mosaics, reaching into the sky, and when you look up, the sky is so blue that you want to cry. The two promenades of the square are also worth admiring, and the tops of the promenades are carved with delicate Islamic motifs, which are majestic and contain delicate and intricate beauty.
In the city, she would occasionally pull over to the side of the road, tell us about the history of the area, and then let us go around on our own, and she would wait for us in the car.
She slowed down as she passed some white houses, "These houses used to be lived in by Europeans, and after a few years of bad economic conditions, they went back, and then they came back to Morocco one after another, but they don't live here anymore......It used to be very prosperous, and in the first few years I came, the market and shops were concentrated here. ...You see, these buildings are a mix of French, Islamic, and Berber characteristics, and this style is called "New Morocco".
The white buildings with obvious colonial characteristics have lost their former glamour, exuding an old and decadent atmosphere, and at first glance it is clear that no one has lived in it for a long time. The iron railings of the balconies trembled, the paint of the wooden windows fell in scattered places, and the rain mixed with rust over the years left mottled marks on the white walls.
A house where no one lives is like a lonely old man, and it must be just as lonely.