Anfa — Uncover the Conference Secrets

Your journey begins at the Prefecture of Casablanca, an administrative building constructed in the 1920s under the French protectorate. Its Art Deco architecture, with an 80-meter long façade adorned with columns and a sculpted pediment, is a testament to the style of the era. Facing Place Mohammed V, this building has housed prefectural services since 1956 and holds crucial colonial administrative archives. It is here that the initial directives of the Anfa Conference might have been recorded, hidden under layers of bureaucracy.

Next, you head to the Sacré-Cœur Cathedral of Casablanca, a Catholic church erected in 1930 by architect Paul Tournaire, blending Moorish and Art Deco styles. Its 38-meter high bell tower and initial capacity of 1,200 people made it an important gathering place. Transformed into a Cultural Center in 1957 after Morocco's independence, it retains stained glass and mosaics inspired by Moroccan Islamic art. This site, though religious, could have served as a discreet meeting place or a cache for messages, away from official eyes in Casablanca.

The Arab League Park, a public garden created in the 1920s by Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, offers a strategic break. Spanning 14 hectares in the heart of Casablanca's European quarter, this historic leisure spot for colonial residents, renovated in 2010, hosts a large central fountain dating from the 1930s. The shaded alleys and fountains could have been the scene of secret discussions between delegations, away from the prying ears of Place Mohammed V. This is a key point for understanding Casablanca's French colonial heritage.

Your quest leads you to the Mahkama du Pacha, an Islamic court built in 1941-1942 by Moroccan architect M. Aziz Lazraq, in a Neo-Moorish style. With its 32,000 polychrome zellige tiles and 25-meter high towers, this edifice served as a courthouse until the 1950s before becoming a municipal museum. The interior, adorned with stucco and carved cedar ceilings, may hold traces of an interrogation or a judicial decision related to the Conference events, anchoring your visit in the history of Casablanca.

Finally, you explore the Habous Quarter, a 'white city' residential area created between the 1910s and 1930s by the French for the Muslim population. Spanning 50 hectares, with its mosques, schools, and traditional markets like the Pacha Market inaugurated in 1930, it represents a preserved model of colonial urban planning 1 km from Place Mohammed V. This site, rich in the history of Casablanca and Morocco's historical monuments, allows you to piece together the final parts of the puzzle, revealing how decisions made in Anfa resonated far beyond diplomatic circles, into the daily lives of Casablanca-Settat residents.