{"id":551730,"date":"2026-04-26T14:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T14:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/551730\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T14:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T14:13:11","slug":"morocco-opens-700m-rocket-inspired-skyscraper-as-it-boosts-global-ambitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/551730\/","title":{"rendered":"Morocco opens $700m rocket-inspired skyscraper as it boosts global ambitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A $700 million, 55-story skyscraper opened in Morocco<\/a> this week, underscoring the country’s expanding global ambitions.<\/p>\n

The 820-foot Mohammed VI Tower, named for King Mohammed VI and inspired by a rocket on its launchpad, will feature a luxury Waldorf Astoria hotel, offices, shops, restaurants and upscale apartments.<\/p>\n

The tower, among Africa<\/a>\u2019s tallest skyscrapers, is expected to generate 450 direct jobs and 3,500 indirect ones, Leila Haddaoui, director of development company O Tower, said.<\/p>\n

It stands in Sal\u00e9, the twin city of the capital, Rabat<\/a>, and was built over eight years with more than 2,500 workers from over a dozen countries. <\/p>\n

The tower, which has already appeared on Morocco<\/a>\u2019s 200-dirham (about $20) banknote, stands near the Grand Theatre of Rabat<\/a>, designed by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid<\/a>, and offers views of the Atlantic Ocean<\/a> and the twin cities.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe $700 million, 55-story skyscraper has opened in Morocco (AP)<\/p>\n

With the project, Morocco<\/a> is positioning Rabat<\/a> and Sal\u00e9 \u2014 often overlooked by tourists \u2014 on the international stage, as part of a broader tourism push, Haddaoui added.<\/p>\n

Already Africa<\/a>\u2019s most visited country, Morocco relies on tourism economically and is seeking to attract more visitors, as regional conflicts are believed to steer travelers toward perceived safer destinations. The effort comes as it prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n

For its founders, the newly inaugurated tower is a symbol of Morocco\u2019s growing soft power in Africa<\/a> and the Middle East<\/a>. It reflects the country\u2019s ambition to position itself as a leading regional player through high-profile development projects aimed at expanding its influence.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe tower is expected to generate 450 direct jobs and 3,500 indirect ones (AP)<\/p>\n

Critics say development is concentrated along Morocco’s Atlantic corridor, while other areas remain underdeveloped. Gen Z-led protests last year highlighted grievances over high unemployment and struggling public services.<\/p>\n

The tower, with a total area of more than 102,800 square meters (about 1.1 million square feet), was conceived by Othmane Benjelloun, a 93-year-old billionaire who owns Bank of Africa<\/a>, a Moroccan bank once state-owned and now highly influential across the continent.<\/p>\n

The magnate was invited by NASA in 1969 to a spaceflight simulation ahead of the Apollo 12 mission to the moon, and the idea for the skyscraper was born from that visit, according to a statement by tower management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-551730","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}