Home Culture Landmark Hassan II Mosque to Open Its Hammams to the Public
Landmark Hassan II Mosque to Open Its Hammams to the Public
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca will open its hammams to the public this month.
Margot Eliason
Margot Eliason is a writer at Morocco World News.
Rabat – The secretary general of the Hassan II Mosque Foundation, Mohamed Barkaoui, has announced that the hammams of the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca will open to the public this month.
The hammams, or traditional Moroccan baths, are under the esplanade in front of the landmark mosque. Designed to complement the architectural style of the mosque, they cover a total underground area of 6,000 square meters, split into separate women's and men's sections.
The baths are designed for a traditional Moroccan hammam experience. Each one includes three steam rooms or "Moorish Baths" of different temperatures; private rooms for washing and exfoliation; a 300 cubic meter, 1.2-meter deep salt water pool; change rooms; and a tearoom.
The hammam will be operated by the Moroccan branch of the international well-being and beauty company Deep Nature, supported by consulting company Le Spa Francais.
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The well-being center has been under renovation since 2017. It will be the first time in history that the baths will be open to the public.
"During the first few months, the hammams will be in a 'pre-opening' phase, to smooth out operations and train staff, " Barkaoui stated in a press release.
The foundation wants the hammams to be accessible to everyone, and this will be reflected in the pricing, he added.
The opening of the hammams also coincides with the opening of a new underground parking space at the mosque, with space for 1,000 cars.
The Hassan II Mosque was commissioned by King Mohammed VI's father, Hassan II, in the 1980s and completed in 1993.
It is the fifth largest mosque in the world, with a capacity for 105,000 faithful to gather for prayer. A total of 12,500 workers and artisans were involved in the project, which cost approximately MAD 6 billion ($655,000), an amount which caused controversy at the time.
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