In the “Cudablin” project, we send completely different people on trips at our expense! Alexander Belenky visited Morocco: he tried to find a Russian trace in the kingdom (this task was invented for him by his subscribers) and visited the island where witches and sorcerers live. More details in his report!
The first part of the story is here.
For most people, Casablanca is not a city, but a movie. Romance, rose-colored dreams and all that. Therefore, in the minds of tourists, Moroccan New York should be light and airy.
Nothing like that!
1. At first glance, Casablanca looks modern and quite European. Don’t worry, this feeling will quickly dissipate.
2. The city was built by the French and completed by the Moroccans themselves.
3. Architecture lovers and connoisseurs will definitely find interesting houses and streets here in colonial, Moorish or even purely Parisian style.
4. Public transport is best represented by taxis; the local population travels mainly by them. There are two types of taxis in the country, “small” and “big” – this is how they are translated from the French “petit” and “grand”. Small ones can be of different but bright colors: in Casablanca they are red, in Rabat they are blue. These cars drive within the same area, and are relatively inexpensive.
5. Large taxis are always white, and almost always old Mercedes. They work on the principle of minibuses, but you can’t guess where this or that car is going, you need to know the route lines, the locals have them in their heads, and the residents of Casablanca know that along this street a grand taxi goes to the bazaar, and along that street it follows to the airport.
No matter what taxi you use, be prepared that besides you there will be other passengers in the car who are on their way. This is how it is done here. Well, I advise you to use Uber, it works in the city. It costs the same, but you won’t be deceived.
6. Casablanca is not a tourist city at all. Port, business, attractive. The largest in Morocco. It follows that no one is waiting for you here.
7. This may be uncomfortable for a tourist, but a traveler will like it more than a licked Marrakesh.
8. Not everyone makes it here, but I highly recommend it: if you find yourself in Casablanca, don’t miss the old lighthouse on the outskirts of the city! You can climb up and look at the stunning views of the ocean. Near the lighthouse a man will accost you and promise to “take you inside” – send him through the forest and go straight to the lighthouse, the keeper will let you in, and you won’t have to pay twice.
9. Another impressive dominant feature of the city is the Hassan II Mosque, built twenty years ago by the Moroccan king on the ocean shore. Well, this place is hard to miss, after all, the main and one of the few attractions of Casablanca.
10. From the mosque towards the port there is a well-equipped but dirty embankment. I don’t advise you to go this road, you will soon come to a dead end and have to go back. And along the way there is nothing interesting, only fishermen with cats fishing.
11. It’s worth going to the mosque, since you’ve already arrived in Casablanca. They are afraid to look at the local people and foreign tourists who try to visit the country only with group tours.
12. You can go into the mosque and see the interiors, climb the minaret and even visit the baths. It costs ten dollars, and all the guidebooks say that this is one of the few mosques “where infidels are allowed.” In Morocco this is strict, they really divide people into Muslims and everyone else, but in other countries, for example in Russia, there is no problem going to a mosque. So, I didn’t go.
13. Hassan Minaret is the second tallest in the world after Mecca in Saudi Arabia. And in the city of Rabat, which is an hour’s drive from Casablanca, there is an unfinished minaret of Hassan the First (if I didn’t get the name wrong),
which in its age (1100s) should have been the highest. But he didn’t.
14. Due to the importance of the site and the presence of tourists in this area of the city, the authorities tried to organize a riot and improve the surrounding area. They didn’t turn out very well.
15. Luxury real estate and a giant shopping center were built nearby, but they remain abandoned.
16. I thought about getting inside, but I only had one day in the city, I wouldn’t have time to go to other interesting places.
17. Construction of the ghost town is sluggish, but continues. It is unclear who will live in it, since the buildings are already empty.
18. And directly opposite are the unpleasant and cramped quarters of the old medina. A dangerous place for strangers, but we will definitely go there in the second part of this story.
19. Let’s talk about the typical residential areas of Casablanca, similar to our Khrushchev apartments.
20. In a city with a population of 3 million, problems with traffic jams, parking and lack of roads are expected.
21. There are several paid underground parking lots in the center, but judging by the chaos during rush hours and the lack of public transport, there are few of them. And also look, the gas station is combined with parking.
22. The fleet is varied, from ancient Mercedes and French cars to modern Korean-Japanese of all stripes.
23. So they park on one street, in three rows. They just blocked the backup. How to leave for someone who is in the center?
24. In general, Casablanca is cool. It’s definitely worth coming here once in your life.
25. Buy souvenirs. In other cities they will cost more.
26. So if you are not afraid of dirt, on Fridays there is a direct Royal Air Maroc flight from Moscow, and on other days you will have to make a transfer.
27. National pride – a new low-floor tram. I was never able to take a ride; all my routes lay far from the tram line.
28. An incomprehensible design, reminiscent of a horizontal bar on Soviet courtyards.
29. Underground passage[/caption]. Would you go down into something like this? European tourists are in a slight state of confusion and are studying the map to see how they can get around the fetid dungeon.
30. On the same square there is a portal to the past. Just beyond the fortress wall begins the medina, the old (but not historical) district of Casablanca.
31. Once you pass the gate, you find yourself in another world. All of Europe is disappearing somewhere. And with it – the last feeling of security. Moroccans are not the nicest people and are not very kind to foreigners. Not very prosperous people live in the medina.
32. Still, this area is worth visiting not only for the thrill. Immediately move away from the bazaar, which has taken over the first few streets. It’s more interesting in the depths!
33 You are unlikely to get into people’s houses, they won’t let you in, but you can walk along the narrow streets of the medina, painted in bright colors. Many paths are dead ends, and Google maps will not help. Just walk and observe, without fear of getting lost, they will always show you the way out.
34. Housing and communal services art in Moroccan.
35. Bathhouse for men.
36. Freshly caught mussels. Have you forgotten that the city is located on the ocean shore?
37. Bread shop.
38. Moroccans do not like to be photographed. They just hate it. We’ll talk about this separately, but here the boy couldn’t do anything, his hands were full. But he was so distracted by me, glaring with his eyes, that he slipped on a stone and a few seconds later he was already lying on the pavement, scattering sweets around. For a moment I felt sorry for him, he would get hit by adults.
39. Not everyone has their own telephone number. There are a lot of payphones in the area: this atavism, almost forgotten in our country, is still popular.
40. In Arab countries they like to paint on the walls of houses. It’s more fun to live among the sracha. Casablanca has a lot of wall paintings with scenes from fairy tales and patriotic symbols.
41. In Egypt, for example, they paint on the houses of people who made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and there they depict airplane ships and mosques.
42. Life hack on how to avoid being spotted in the medina of Casablanca: the area is divided into sectors, the streets differ in color. Therefore, remember the color of the walls on the street where you came from.
43. The most colorful characters of the city live, of course, in the medina!
44. The streets are mostly pedestrian, but sometimes cars try to squeeze through the crowd of people. Naive.
45. A very respected person probably lives here. I wish I could see the inside of his house.
46. Try to leave the medina before dusk, and generally avoid going there alone.
47. I didn’t see any obvious danger, but I felt something in my gut.
48. From the slum quarter I made my way back to the main mosque, and did not regret coming here twice. After sunset it’s amazing and beautiful here!
49. And in the distance that same lighthouse shines. I love lighthouses, it would be worth coming to Casablanca just for that!
50. This is the city that many know from the film of the same name. No longer Europe, but not yet Africa.
51. Everything will be fine!
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Text and photo by: Alexander Belenky
Preview photo: Unsplash.com
