Place Mohammed V (Mohammed V Square), Casablanca (must see)

On the grounds once occupied by French colonial military barracks, Mohammed V Square was built and now is Casablanca’s main civic square. Popularly known as “Pigeons’ Square”, it is rarely seen without flocks of pigeons covering the open space, a part of its identity and rhythm. Officially named after Mohammed V, Morocco’s widely revered former king, the square has carried several earlier names: France Square, Administrative Square, and Marshal Lyautey Square, reflecting a different political moment.

The square was planned from 1916 onward under the direction of Resident-General Hubert Lyautey. Lyautey modeled it after Place Stanislas in Nancy, France, his hometown.

Over the following decades, the space was framed by a coherent ensemble of public buildings constructed in a restrained Moorish Revival style, combining modern construction with arcades, arches, and decorative references to traditional Moroccan architecture. On the southern side stands the Central Post Office, completed in 1920. The Law Courts, built in 1923, occupy the eastern edge, their long facade emphasizing the square’s formal axis. Along the northern edge rises Casablanca City Hall, completed in the 1930s, which continues to house municipal offices and reinforces the square’s role as the administrative heart of the city.

At the center of the square sits a large circular fountain. In the early 2020s, the square gained a contemporary counterpart with the opening of the Grand Theater of Casablanca, designed by Christian de Portzamparc, which anchors one western edge of the plaza.