Current time in Casablanca

The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca — the largest mosque in Africa — was deliberately built on the ocean shore so worshippers could pray facing Mecca with the Atlantic behind them. At golden hour, the minaret is lit from within and glows like a lighthouse.

Morocco permanently switched to UTC+1 in 2018, abandoning its previous practice of changing clocks. However, during Ramadan, the country briefly reverts to UTC+0 — making Morocco one of the only countries that changes timezone seasonally for religious reasons.

Casablanca's golden hour over the Atlantic Ocean is spectacular — the city faces west, meaning every sunset is a direct view of the sun descending into the ocean. The Hassan II Mosque at sunset is one of Africa's great photographic subjects.

Despite what the 1942 film suggests, very little of Casablanca was actually filmed in Casablanca — it was shot entirely in Hollywood. But the city has spent 80 years living up to its cinematic reputation anyway.

Casablanca's Corniche waterfront comes alive at golden hour — when the heat of the day breaks and families, couples and street food vendors fill the seafront promenade as the sun sets over the Atlantic.

Moroccan mint tea culture dictates that tea is poured from a great height in late afternoon — traditionally at the time of the third prayer, which is timed to the sun's position. Tea time in Morocco is astronomically determined.