Ibrahim, our guide in Casablanca’s Ancient Medina
Port of Call Casablanca, Morocco: “Here’s looking at you, Kid”
No we didn’t visit Rick’s Café Americain, famous from the 1942 Hollywood movie Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Even though the café is located close to the cruise docks, the café did not open until more than 60 years later in 2004 and is clearly just an effort to capitalize on the famous movie, which by the way was almost in its entirety filmed in Burbank, California, using archive shots of Casablanca for flavor. Even though an admirable effort to be authentic, the entire café operation is essential a Hollywood inspired advertisement. Nothing even remotely comparable to the authenticity of “La Bodeguita del Medio” in Havana Cuba.
Casablanca, chaos and attraction
Casablanca has seen an explosive growth since the port was built 120 years ago. Today Metropolitan Casablanca houses more than 4.3 million people! Compare that to a mere 20,000 in 1900 before the port was built. As a result there is some chaos in the infrastructural picture you may want to take into consideration. Which is why we took it easy again.
Our choices for this Port of Call were a couple of Cruiseline organized bus tours to faraway destinations such as the capital city Rabat to the north or a 4 hour trip each way to Marrakesh, on the edge of the Sahara desert. Now both of these cities are worth a visit, but sitting in a bus for hours was not our idea of fun so our sights were set on the Ancient Medina (the centuries old covered marketplace almost next to the cruise arrival dock) and if time allowed, a stroll down Casablanca’s Corniche to the Mosque Hassan II.
Even though our visiting targets were in walking distance from the cruise ship dock, we took the courtesy bus that would take us to a central point in town, primarily because we needed a McDonalds for some Wifi and a bank to exchange some money. TJ had asked many of our friends and family where they would like to receive a souvenir/gift from and Casablanca came out as the absolute most desirable destination. Hence we needed some Dirhams to be able to “negotiate” prices. (It’s a must if you want Moroccons to respect you).
45 Minutes on the second floor of McDonalds, distracted by the excitement of two young children and their mother, apparently eating for the first time in a Micky D, informed us that everything on the Homefront was under control and we left. Across the street was a bank exchange ATM and we exchanged a good amount of dollars into Dirhams. Always use a bank ATM to exchange, the exchange is better and the service cost much less.
Ancient Medina of Casablanca
Ancient Medina
Coming out of the bank, we ask for directions to the “Souk” and a smiling Moroccan answer points right across the street to a kind of hidden entrance in a big wall. Life is easy in Morocco, about to get easier.
We enter the Ancient Medina and a young guy, young as in his thirties, walks up to us and welcomes us to the Medina. His name is Ibrahim (Abraham in Hebrew) and he introduces himself as the “mayor” of the Ancient Medina. He was born there and still lives inside the ancient walls, and his English is great. Done with the introductions, Ibrahim shows us his store and tells us a little about the Souk’s history. Though lacking the medieval magic (due to the Lisbon earthquake in 1755) that characterizes other Moroccan medinas, Casablanca’s compact 19th-century example is still very much worth a wander. You’re unlikely to find real treasures in its everyday shops (hardware stores, pharmacies and shops selling cheap clothing, shoes and spices ), but its whitewashed crooked lanes, occasional tree-shaded square and buzzy local cafes make it a popular route for those walking between downtown Casablanca and the Hassan II Mosque.
Ibrahim who introduced us to many shopkeepers, told us that less than a week earlier, American actors John Cena and Jessica Biel were spotted filming action scenes for the Apple movie Matchbox in the Medina and areas like Derb Omar, to be released on October 9, 2026.
At one point Han, who had some problems with the very uneven pavements consisting of cobblestones and wildly place concrete tiles, took out several racks of clothing when he was tripped by 2 local women unaware and suddenly crossing his path. He went down with some scrapings on his hands. Ibrahim and a very concerned older Imam, guided him to a hidden bathroom, took care of his bloody hands and guided us to a restaurant hidden in the Medina, named Dar El Kaid. It is here where we learned about the flavors of local cuisine. This funky old school Moroccan joint is #1 in the city on TripAdvisor for one reason only: Both the food and the atmosphere are on point, and if you’re looking for a fancy Moroccan meal in Casablanca, we would recommend Dar El Kaid. Han had a flavorful lamb dish slow-cooked with spices and served with couscous and TJ had a Kebab Magdour: Grilled meat skewers seasoned with traditional spices, offering a taste of Moroccan street food. We took quite a few pictures of the fascinating interior and when we walked out there was Ibrahim, waiting for us to continue his tour. We bought souvenirs, spices, t-shirts and other memorabilia for friends and family and when we had walked by hundreds of stores and visited dozens of them.
The Mecca Laser beam
By late afternoon we properly compensated Ibrahim for his marvelous attention and guidance and walked back to the bus stop where we would be picked up for a return to the ship. It was a great day with lots of local color even though we had not made it to the famous Mosque.
But… that evening from the deck of the ship we witnessed the green Laser Beam coming from the top of the 210 meter (689ft) high Minaret tower of the Hassan II Mosque, that reportedly is beamed directly to the city of Mecca. Quite impressive.
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