Location: The city of Casablanca is located on the Atlantic Coast in northwestern Morocco. Casablanca has the largest and most important port in Africa. It is the country’s principal commercial town and the second-largest city in Africa. It is only 19  miles away form Europe and 6 hours and half from New York, NY USA via Royal Air Maroc. History Casablanca was settled by Berbers by at least the 7th century. A small independent kingdom, in the area then named Anfa, arose in the area around that time in response to Arab Muslim rule, and continued until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068. During 14th century, under the Merinids, Anfa rose in importance as a port. In the early 15th century, the town became an independent state once again, and emerged as a safe harbour for pirates and privateers, leading to it being targeted by the Portuguese, who destroyed the town in 1468. The Portuguese used the ruins of Anfa to build a military fortress in 1515. There was a Sephardic Jewish community in Anfa up to its destruction by the Portuguese in 1468. Jews were slow to return to the town, but by 1750 there seems to have been enough of them to warrant the building of the first synagogue in Casablanca, the Rabbi Elijah Synagogue, which was destroyed along with much of the town in the earthquake of 1755. The town was finally reconstructed by sultan Sidi Mohammed III (1756-1790), the grand-son of Moulay Ismail and ally of George Washington. The town was called Dar el Beida (white house) in Arabic and Casa Blanca in Spanish. In January 1943 Franklin Roosevelt rendezvoused with Winston Churchill in Casablanca to decide on a strategy to appease Joseph Stalin, who was complaining that Britain and the United States were delaying an invasion of Europe. Northern Africa had been conquered by General Eisenhower in the fall of 1942 in a campaign dubbed, Operation Torch. Casablanca was designed by the French architect Henri Prost and was a model of a new town at that time. Former office buildings and modern hotels populate the area. Their style is a combination of Hispano-Mauresque and Art Deco styles. Today work is on going in Casablanca to build the biggest Marina in Africa to include several hotels, restaurants, golf courses and deck for cruises hoping to attract more tourists to the city by 2010. WHERE TO STAY Royal Mansour Sheraton Casablanca Hotel Twrs Hyatt Regency Casablanca Idou Anfa Farah Hotel Casablanca Ibis Moussafir Casablanca Riad Salam THINGS To DO IN CASABLANCA Hassan II Mosque Old Medina Modern City Life La Corniche Quartiers des Habous Mosaic Art Palais Royal WHERE TO EAT La Mer   Le Cabestan Le Retro La Bavaroise La Broche Ostrea La Tradition Don Camillo