Every section of the interior is decorated; any remaining white marble has been carved into intricate designs, waves curl into arches, powerful columns accentuate the height of the roof and glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Colorful tiles and mosaics color the inside of the mosque and the sliding roof is open, letting in the natural light and enhancing their brilliance. One particularly intense segment of the ceiling is covered in a three-dimensional pattern of yellow overlapping green, black and white indentations. It is spectacular.

From Casablanca, a long, hot bus ride takes me to Fes, the former capital and a more typically Moroccan city in the northern part of the country. The Royal Palace here is embellished with even more colorful tiles; circles of green and red are surrounded by yellow stars on a black background, with various blue and white shapes completing the pattern. These tiles border a massive gold door that keeps the public out. 

A visit to the Jewish quarter further illustrates the diversity present within the city. Discarded fruit and vegetables rotting in the street greet give off a pungent smell that prompts me to cover my nose. The streets are extremely narrow and filled with people hurrying about their daily business. A donkey attached to an empty cart waits outside some wooden doors. He stands as if defeated, with his head down. Across the street six men sit in front of a café, all wearing long pants, shirt and jackets, oblivious to the heat. I sweat a little more just looking at them.

I stop for lunch at a shady restaurant and start with a cold drink. I order tajine, a Moroccan specialty that is quickly becoming one of my favorite foods. I choose chicken that is baked in a tasty sauce with potatoes and vegetables in a clay dish with a cone lid. Removing the top allows the mouth watering smells to escape and as I bite into the spicy chicken and sip my cool drink, I am energized for the afternoon’s activities.

Morocco is a country of startling scenery, friendly people, delicious cuisine and intriguing history. A Muslim country in North Africa, Morocco has a diverse range of landscapes, imperial cities and cultural traditions. A visit to this country can take you back in time hundreds of years, tempt your taste buds and bring you to the edge of the Sahara. All you need is a sense of adventure, and the desire to see something new and inspiring. 

I hop into one of Casablanca’s many taxis and hold my breath as we make our way down the busy, overcrowded four-lane road. A flash of yellow draws my attention to the left hand side, where I see United Nations Square. We pass a beach and I notice the brown sand littered with garbage and the dirty, almost brown ocean water. Regardless, Moroccans occupy the entire area and frolic in the rough ocean. I observe the absence of any females or tourists and do not stop. I did not come to Morocco for a beach holiday.

The mosque of Hassan II sits farther down the coastline on a rocky promontory extending over the ocean. The enormous mosque, which took almost 1,500 workers thirteen years to complete, was built for the 60th birthday of Hassan II, a former King of Morocco. The size and elaborateness of the building is overwhelming. 

A single 200 meter minaret reaches toward the sky, and although it is primarily white marble, a band of blue and green tiles are wrapped around the pinnacle. It takes me ten minutes just to walk around the perimeter of the mosque, stopping only once to inspect a water fountain backed by more exquisite blue and green tiles. Even the floor surrounding the enormous holy building is made of marble.  At the entrance, tourists stoop to take off their shoes and scramble to cover their shoulders and knees before they can enter.

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