Casablanca
Casablanca (Arabic: الدار البيضاء, romanized: al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, lit. 'the White House', IPA: [adˈdaːru ɫbajdˤaːʔ]) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a population of about 3.71 million in the urban area, and over 4.27 million in Greater Casablanca, making it the most populous city in the Maghreb region, and the eighth-largest in the Arab world.
For other uses, see Casablanca (disambiguation).
Casablanca
7th century BC
1756
0 to 150 m (0 to 492 ft)
3,359,818
4,270,750[1]
Kazāwi (كازاوي)
Biḍāwi (بيضاوي)
casablancais
Casablanca is Morocco's chief port, with the Port of Casablanca being one of the largest artificial ports in Africa,[3] and the third-largest port in North Africa, after Tanger-Med (40 km (25 mi) east of Tangier) and Port Said.[4] Casablanca also hosts the primary naval base for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
Casablanca is a significant financial centre, ranking 54th globally in the September 2023 Global Financial Centres Index rankings, between Brussels and Rome.[5] The Casablanca Stock Exchange is Africa's third-largest in terms of market capitalization, as of December 2022.[6]
Major Moroccan companies and many of the largest American and European companies operating in the country have their headquarters and main industrial facilities in Casablanca. Recent industrial statistics show that Casablanca is the main industrial zone in the country.
Etymology[edit]
Anfa[edit]
Before the 15th century, the settlement at what is now Casablanca had been called Anfa, rendered in European sources variously as El-Anfa, Anafa or Anaffa, Anafe, Anife, Anafee, Nafe, and Nafee.[7] Ibn Khaldun ascribed the name to the Anfaça, a branch of the Auréba tribe of the Maghreb, though the sociologist André Adam refuted this claim due to the absence of the third syllable.[7] Nahum Slouschz gave a Hebrew etymology, citing the Lexicon of Gesenius: anâphâh (a type of bird) or anaph (face, figure), though Adam refuted this arguing that even a Judaized population would still have spoken Tamazight.[7] Adam also refuted an Arabic etymology, أنف (anf, "nose"), as the city predated the linguistic Arabization of the country, and the term anf was not used to describe geographic areas.[7] Adam affirmed a Tamazight etymology—from anfa "hill", anfa "promontory on the sea", ifni "sandy beach", or anfa "threshing floor"—although he determined the available information insufficient to establish exactly which.[7]
The name "Anfa" was used in maps until around 1830—in some until 1851—which Adam attributes to the tendency of cartographers to replicate previous maps.[8]
A man inspects the derailed Decauville locomotive at the scene of the attack that served as the pretext for the French bombardment of Casablanca in 1907.[24][25]
![A man inspects the derailed Decauville locomotive at the scene of the attack that served as the pretext for the French bombardment of Casablanca in 1907.[24][25]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Derailed_locomotive_in_Casablanca_1907.jpg/369px-Derailed_locomotive_in_Casablanca_1907.jpg)
A postcard showing the French cruiser Gloire recoiling from firing artillery at the city during the bombardment of Casablanca August 1907.
Education[edit]
Colleges and universities[edit]
Public: University of Hassan II Casablanca
Private:
Culture[edit]
Music[edit]
Haja El Hamdaouia, one of the most iconic figures in aita music, was born in Casablanca.[103] Nass El Ghiwane, led by Larbi Batma, came out of Hay Mohammadi in Casablanca.[104] Naima Samih of Derb Sultan gained prominence through the program Mawahib (مواهب).[105] Abdelhadi Belkhayat and Abdelwahab Doukkali are musicians specializing in traditional Moroccan Arabic popular music.[106] Zina Daoudia, Abdelaziz Stati, Abdellah Daoudi, and Said Senhaji are notable Moroccan chaabi musicians.
Abdelakabir Faradjallah founded Attarazat Addahabia, a Moroccan funk band, in 1968.[107] Fadoul, another funk band, formed in the 1970s.[108]
Hoba Hoba Spirit also formed in Casablanca, and is still based there.[109] Casablanca has a thriving hiphop scene, with artists such as El Grande Toto, Don Big, 7liwa, and Issam Harris.[110]
Casablanca hosts numerous music festivals, such as Jazzablanca and L'Boulevard,[111][112] as well as a museum dedicated to Andalusi music, Dar ul-Aala.[113]
Literature[edit]
Francesco Cavalli's L'Ormindo is a 17th century Venetian opera set between Anfa and Fes.[114]
The French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is associated with Casablanca.
Driss Chraïbi's novel The Simple Past takes place in Casablanca. Mohamed Zafzaf lived in Maarif while writing and teaching at a high school.[115]
Lamalif, a radical leftist political and cultural magazine, was based in Casablanca.
Casablanca's International Book Fair is held at the fair grounds opposite Hassan II Mosque annually in February.
Casablanca Beach
Although Mohammed V International Airport receives most international flights into Morocco,[152] international tourism in Casablanca is not as developed as it is in cities [153] such as Fes and Marrakech.
The Hassan II Mosque, which is the second largest mosque in Africa and the seventh-largest in the world, is the city's main tourist attraction.[154][155] Visitors also come to see the city's rich architectural heritage.[156]
Popular sites for national tourism include shopping centers such as Morocco Mall, Anfa Place, the Marina Shopping Center, and the Tachfine Center. Additional sites include the Corniche and the beach of Ain Diab, and parks such as the Arab League Park or the Sindibad theme park.[157][158][159]
