Once you have seen the Hassan II Mosque and walked the Art Deco centre, Casablanca still has a good deal most visitors miss: 1950s housing that architects still study, a prehistoric site on the edge of Aïn Diab, Morocco's tallest lighthouse, and buildings waiting to be brought back to life. This page covers those. Some places are covered in full elsewhere on this site: the Abderrahman Slaoui Foundation Museum is in our museums guide, the stained glass of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes has its own page, Bouskoura forest is in our parks guide, and Derb Ghallef is in our markets guide.
Hidden gems of Casablanca, past the Hassan II Mosque
Carrières Centrales: the Nid d'abeille and Sémiramis blocks
Architecture. In Hay Mohammadi stand two housing blocks from 1952 that tell the story of modern architecture in Morocco. After Michel Écochard became head of town planning in French Morocco in 1946, he planned housing for the working poor on the edge of the cities, built on an 8 x 8 metre grid, and Carrières Centrales was the first place it was tried (Wikipedia). The two blocks residents nicknamed Nid d'abeille (beehive) and Sémiramis were completed in 1952 (Wikipedia). The idea was to carry the way of life of a douar or ksar into vertical concrete, balancing light on the balconies with privacy between neighbours (le360). The architects named are Georges Candilis and Shadrach Woods, with either Alexis Josic (Wikipedia) or Vladimir Bodiansky (le360); the sources differ. Casamémoire's Khalid Moustad calls them a unique experiment in fitting Moroccan family life to modern housing (le360, March 2026). Residents have since changed about 80% of the original facades, mostly by walling in the balconies, so what you see is the building as people have lived in it. These are homes, not a museum: look from the street, go by day, and ask before you photograph anyone.
Hay Mohammadi beyond the housing
District. The district grew from the old Carrière centrale, worker housing under the Protectorate. Its cultural life centred on the Cinéma Saâda and the Maison des jeunes, opened in 1954, which le360 describes as the birthplace of the band Nass El Ghiwane (le360, 10 Mar 2026). It is a working district with no sights laid out for visitors, which is why it is worth going with someone who knows it. The former slaughterhouses, Les Anciens Abattoirs, are here too; see the next item.
Les Anciens Abattoirs, from outside
Heritage. The old slaughterhouses closed in 2002 and were listed as a historic monument in 2003. In August 2026 Casa Aménagement was choosing an engineering firm for the restoration, which plans artists' residencies, galleries and workspaces (le360, 20 Aug 2026). You cannot simply walk in. Our arts and culture guide has the full story.
The Immeuble Liberté
Architecture. Built from 1949 to 1951 by the Swiss architect Léonard Morandi, this 17-storey, 78-metre tower was the first building in Morocco over 16 storeys and one of the tallest in Africa when it was finished (Wikipedia). It stands in Mers Sultan, near the Habous, and Casablancans nicknamed it after its 17 floors. H24info compares its curved shape to a ship's deck (H24info, Feb 2022). It is a residential building, so you see it from the street; it pairs well with a visit to the Habous quarter.
Sidi Abderrahmane archaeological park
Prehistory. The newest site on this page, and one few visitors know about. In the old Sidi Abderrahmane quarry, a short walk from Aïn Diab beach, a human jawbone more than 200,000 years old was found in 1955, along with thousands of stone tools and fossil animals; the deposit is dated to roughly 500,000 to 300,000 years ago. The park was inaugurated on 16 July 2025, with a 900 m² interpretation centre in nine sections and a trail of more than 2 km out and back, with 16 stations and life-size animal reconstructions (le360, 7 Feb 2026). Workshops cover digging, stone-tool knapping and fire. We found no published opening days or hours, so check before you go.
Sidi Abderrahmane islet
Coast. Just off the end of the Aïn Diab Corniche, the shrine of Sidi Abderrahmane has stood alone on its rock since the houses around it were demolished in 2024. Le Matin reported in January 2024 that a bridge had been built to make access easier. The islet reopened in September 2024 with planned hours of Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 18:00 (Le Matin, Sep 2024). We have not confirmed how you reach it today or whether those hours still apply, so check locally, check the tide, and do not cross the rocks on a rising sea. Our free things guide has more.
The El Hank lighthouse
Landmark. At 51 metres, the El Hank lighthouse is still Morocco's tallest. Albert Laprade built it from 1916 to 1921 to guide ships into the new port after a run of wrecks in the bay, and it mixes an Atlantic lighthouse with something close to a minaret (le360, 5 Mar 2026). It was Casablanca's tallest building until the 1950s. In December 2024 the city announced a project to restore it and turn the site into a visitor and cultural area, with no completion date given (H24info, 17 Dec 2024). We could not confirm that visitors can climb it now, so plan to see it from outside, ideally at sunset from the Corniche.
The Hôtel Lincoln, behind the hoardings
Heritage. The Hôtel Lincoln on Boulevard Mohammed V, built in 1916 by Hubert Bride, is one of the largest heritage restoration projects in North Africa. It is being restored as Lincoln Casablanca, a Radisson Collection Hotel; in January 2026 the works were under way and the opening was set for the fourth quarter of 2026 (TendanceHotellerie). We had seen no opening announcement by early November 2026, so treat it as a building site and look at the facade from the pavement opposite. Our Art Deco guide puts it on a walking route.
Casamémoire and the Heritage Days
Events. Casamémoire, the association that campaigns for Casablanca's 20th-century architecture, runs the Journées du Patrimoine. The 16th edition is planned for April 2027 on the theme 'Casablanca, d'ici et d'ailleurs', with exact dates to be announced during 2027 (Le Matin, 21 Oct 2026). In past editions trained volunteers guided visitors round the city's best-known buildings free of charge; in 2014 the routes ran from the centre and the old medina through the Habous to Hay Mohammadi (Le Matin, 4 Apr 2014). If your dates fall in April 2027, check the programme.
Hidden Casablanca on a private day
Booking. Tell us what you have already seen. We plan a day around the places on this page, with a driver to link Hay Mohammadi, the Corniche and the centre.
Seen the mosque already?
Tell us what you have seen and what interests you, and we plan a private day around lesser-known Casablanca.
Ask about a hidden Casablanca day
Sources
- Wikipedia: Carrières Centrales
- le360: Hay Mohammadi, from the Carrière centrale to an urban utopia (10 Mar 2026)
- le360: Casablanca's former slaughterhouses move closer to restoration (20 Aug 2026)
- Wikipedia: Liberty Building (Casablanca)
- H24info: Liberté, Casablanca's skyscraper (6 Feb 2022)
- le360: the Sidi Abderrahmane archaeological park (7 Feb 2026)
- Casa Aménagement: Sidi Abderrahmane archaeological park project
- Le Matin: the Sidi Abderrahmane islet before the works (11 Jan 2024)
- Le Matin: the Sidi Abderrahmane islet reopens (20 Sep 2024)
- H24info: the new face of the Sidi Abderrahmane islet (20 Sep 2024)
- le360: the El Hank lighthouse (5 Mar 2026)
- H24info: the El Hank lighthouse redevelopment project (17 Dec 2024)
- TendanceHotellerie: Radisson Collection openings in 2026 and 2027, including the Lincoln (28 Jan 2026)
- Le Matin: Casamémoire's call for projects for the 2027 Heritage Days (21 Oct 2026)
- Le Matin: Casablanca's heritage opens its doors (4 Apr 2014)