Casablanca

History

How the city came to be

Casablanca's predecessor was the Berber port of Anfa, in medieval times a trading port and a pirates' base; it was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1468, and in 1515 the Portuguese rebuilt it and called it "Casablanca". The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 struck this place, and Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah afterwards rebuilt it and named it Dar el-Beida (White House). In the 19th century the wool and grain trades revived the port, and European trading houses gathered. French troops landed and occupied it in 1907; in 1912 Morocco became a French protectorate, and Resident-General Lyautey directed the planning that built Casablanca into a modern port and new city. In 1942 Allied forces landed on the Moroccan coast, and in January 1943 Roosevelt and Churchill held the Casablanca Conference here. After Moroccan independence in 1956, the city has steadily remained the country's economic, financial and industrial centre.

1. 1468The Portuguese destroy the pirate stronghold of Anfa
2. 1515The Portuguese rebuild it and name it "Casablanca"
3. 1755A great earthquake devastates the town; the sultan rebuilds it afterwards
4. 1907French troops land and occupy it
5. 1912Morocco becomes a French protectorate; Casablanca is built up on a grand scale
6. 1943The Casablanca Conference (Roosevelt and Churchill)
7. 1956Moroccan independence
8. 1993The Hassan II Mosque is completed and opens