Casablanca; in Arabic - al Dar al Beida. - The White House - built over the centuries on the site of what was once the ancient Carthaginian stronghold of Admiral Hanno who named it Anafa. Thence it was to become the capital of a Berber principality in the aftermath of Arab invasions during the 7th and 8th centuries A.D., to become the Casa Branca of the Portuguese invaders who, in the 15th century, destroyed the original site, a base for raiding corsairs. Partially destroyed by the earthquake of 1755 to be abandoned by the Portuguese, it was reconstructed in 1770 by the Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah (King Mohammed III), who was to name it Casablanca so as to encourage trade from Cadiz and Madrid.
Passengers are offered optional choices in shore excursions: of Casablanca, of the Imperial City of Rabat, of the Imperial City of Fes, of the Imperial City of Marrakech or of El Jadida. Hot or cold refreshments are provided on Half Day Excursions; Lunch with wine on Full Day Excursions.
The gleaming whitewashed, bustling metropolis of Casablanca had, in 1860, but 8,000 inhabitants; in 1907 it boasted 20,000; in 1912, at the beginning of the French Protectorate, there were 25,000 and, in 1930, when the French were asked to leave, there were some 106,000; now, with its population of more than 3 million, it is the Kingdom of Morocco's largest city and main centre of trade and industry, as well as being the busiest port in North Africa. Casablanca, the second largest town in Africa after Cairo, immortalised by Hollywood as a city of intrigue and romance, with its mixture of International and Moroccan restaurants, of French-designed boulevards and Parisian 1920s Art-Deco architecture, from the old Medina, the original Arab settlement, with its network of narrow cobbled alleyways, whitewashed buildings and lively souks to its film setting French-built new Medina, with its ensemble of impressive Moorish buildings and Brass workers souk, the Casablanca of old offers a captivating look at traditions uniquely Moroccan, casting an evocative blend of the old and the new, the familiar and the exotic, of Art Deco Europe and the essence of Arabia in a country whose geographic characteristics include the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Rif and Atlas Mountains, the Sahara and ski resorts; fertile breadbasket plains and verdant Upper mountain valleys.
Casablanca, a shopper’s paradise offering the finest quality handmade Berber and Arab arts and crafts; a myriad spices; leatherwork, gold and silver, inlaid woods; carpets, cloths and spices à go-go.
