Casablanca, or Dar el Beida, as it is known in Arabic, was first settled over three thousand years ago, when Berber fishermen claimed a hilltop overlooking the Atlantic and called it Anafa. Today, this sprawling metropolis of four million souls is Morocco's economic capital, and also, one of the largest ports in Africa. In this city of contrasts, villas in Hispano-Moorish and French colonial style line broad tree-lined avenues, sleek office buildings rise alongside graceful minarets, and satellite dishes line almost every rooftop.

Although much modernised, Casablanca is a beautiful city that rewards the visitor with an exciting concoction of European influenced ambience with the distinctive Moorish flavour of North Africa. It is fair to say that most of its attractions are purely visual, but there is plenty to charm from the sheer magnificence of the Hassan II Mosque to the narrow streets of the Medina and even the vibrant activity of the port.