What to See in Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco

The modern city of Casablanca is not often at the top of must-see lists when people visit Morocco. Honestly, it wasn’t at the top of ours either, but we found a few interesting attractions that made it a worthwhile stop. Here’s what you can see when you visit Casablanca.

Let’s get this out of the way from the start. The movie Casablanca was not filmed in Morocco. The city doesn’t resemble the movie set in the least. It did have some involvement in WWII though, which may have led to the famous movie being set in the city. Now that expectations are set, let’s explore the sites in Casablanca.

Even though Casablanca looks new, its beginnings are as old as many in Morocco. First, an Amazigh village was situated here and they called it Anfa. In the 16th century, the Portuguese moved in, naming it Casa Branca (White House). It was changed to Casablanca when the Spanish arrived. The city was levelled in the 1755 Meknes earthquake and was abandoned by the Spanish. It was later rebuilt by Moroccan leaders, and then fell under the French Protectorate in the 20th century. As a result, most of the city’s buildings are from the 20th century, but there are a few that are worth seeing. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).