Casablanca is a fascinating and historic city with plenty for visitors to see and do, from enjoying the beach to exploring its historic and cultural treasures. When it comes to the latter, visitors will usually head down to see the Hassan II Mosque, but while this is a major attraction, there are smaller ones in the heart of the city that discerning tourists will enjoy exploring.
The Musee Abderrahman Slaoui is named after a businessman who loved the arts. He spent over 50 years of his life collecting items of ethnographic value, from jewellery to vintage posters, Bohemian crystal boxes and a potpourri of other items he picked up on his travels. It opened in 2012, just a few months before his death, and will offer a fascinating experience with its cabinet of curiosities. The Museum of Moroccan Judaism offers a deep insight into the life and times of this community, created in 1997 by the Foundation of Jewish-Moroccan Cultural Heritage to tell a story that might otherwise have remained little-known. Its collection of religious, ethnographic and artistic items will help visitors understand how the Jewish community in the country has survived and sometimes thrived in the context of being a minority in a wider Moroccan culture.
Covering 700 square meters, this museum is the first of its kind in the Arab world. Group visits are available in Arabic, French, English or Spanish. The Villa des Arts de Casablanca is the third museum to see. Part of the ONA Foundation’s portfolio of art galleries, the attraction has a focus on universal themes like the environment, human wellbeing, tolerance and coexistence.
Image Credit: NawalbennaniBased on Boulevard Brahim Roudani in an art deco building dating from the 1930s, the museum seeks to promote contemporary arts while staying in touch with Moroccan heritage. Those visiting now can see its 30th anniversary exhibition, which is based on highlights of all the other exhibitions the museum has put on over the past three decades. After seeing these three museums, any visitor to Casablanca is sure to feel they have greatly expanded and enriched their knowledge of the country’s culture, people and future aims.
