Hassan II Mosque hid itself in the fog

Yesterday morning, I woke up before the call for the first prayer of the day, As-Sobh, that starts the fast. The balcony of the hotel room has a view over the large boulevard Houphouët Boigny, a view I love, with the white facades, a little (a lot) used by time, one behind the other, terraces, paraboles' dishes, a mix of old building of the thirties, unfortunatly not well maintained, of traditionnal moroccan houses, and, in some places, a few modern buildings. On the right, quite near, a minaret. And in the background, just in front of us, the silhouette of the mosque, the Hassan II mosque, like a ship sailing towards the city.

But yesterday morning, in a strange milky white athmosphere, all silent, like cotton, in a heavy fog over the city, the mosque had disappeared.

Totally disappeared...

At first I thought an illusion, a last dreamm. I tried to see it, to guess in the thick mist, at least the silhouette of the minaret, usually one can spot it from a few kilometres away.

Nothing at all.

And suddenly, in the silence, the voice of the muezzin came through the fog, even stronger, even more present because it was just a voice, just a sound claiming God's greatness (these are the first words in the prayer, Allah ou Aghbar, God is Great), coming from nowhere, from the clouds and the sea. One after the other, the other mosques answered it. The morning started.

But the mosque appeared only around 1O am, as the clouds went higher. I could spot the huge green roof, and over a blanket of remaining mist, the top of the minaret. For the whole day, it was impossible to see it wholly. Always a part of it was hidden by the fog. It was hot, very hot, 32°, much more than usual in october, and that was making Ramadan harder.

in the evening, the fog was lighter. And for the last prayer of the day,it was finally possible to perceive the light, on top of the minaret.