2 Best Sights in Casablanca, Rabat, Casablanca, and the North Atlantic Coast

The area of the city bordered by Avenue des FAR, Place des Nations-Unies, Boulevard Mohammed V, and Rue Abdullah Al Mediouini contains some beautiful examples of Mauresque and Art Deco architecture built by the French in the early years of the Protectorate (1912--56). While much has gone, large swathes of these buildings are being restored, including the Central Market and the enormous Hotel Lincoln, both on Boulevard Mohammed V. Some excellent examples are Le Petit Poucet bar on the same street, the Cinema Rialto on Rue Bouchaib, and the Bank Al-Maghrib on Boulevard de Paris. Many apartment blocks in this area sport pretty wrought-iron balconies and swags of cement flowers and fruit on the buildings. Casamémoire ( casamemoire.org) is a Moroccan nonprofit dedicated to the protection and promotion of the city's 20th-century architecture; it organizes architectural Heritage Days in May and can offer private architectural tours in English if booked in advance.

Also known as the New Medina, the Quartier Habous was built by the French in the 1930s as a modern version of a traditional medina. Today it's an attractive mix of French colonial architecture with Moroccan details. Capped by arches, its small shops are the best place in Casablanca to buy handicrafts, from rugs and slippers to kaftans. Don’t miss the olive souk, with its pyramids of multi-hue olives; there are several bookshops, too.

As you enter the Habous, you'll pass a building resembling a castle; this is the Mahkama de Pasha, or court, completed in 1952. It has an ornate interior courtyard but is currently used for district government administration. On the opposite side of the square is the Mohammadi Mosque built in the 1930s—this and the Moulay Youssef Mosque, in an adjacent square, are among the finest examples of traditional Maghrebi (western North African) architecture in Casablanca. Look up at the minarets and you might recognize a style used in Marrakesh's Koutoubia Mosque. Immediately north of the Habous is Casablanca's Royal Palace with an impressive gate; it's heavily guarded and you can't go inside.