Casablanca's Habous Quarter — locally also called the New Medina — is unusual among Moroccan medinas in that it was planned, not accreted. French Protectorate architects laid it out in the 1920s as a deliberately traditional quarter, combining low Moorish arcades with small ordered squares, uniform building heights, and a neat grid that the older organic medinas across Morocco do not have. The result is a medina experience for visitors who do not want the noise or hassle of a Fes or Marrakech walk.

The quarter's specialty is everyday things. The arcades hold pastry shops, bookstores, leather workshops, brass and copperware, and olive merchants with barrels out front; the bookstores in particular carry rare Moroccan titles in Arabic and French that you do not find elsewhere in the city. Cornes de gazelle, chebakia and other traditional pastries from the Habous bakeries are the city's most-bought take-home gift. Leather goods are honestly priced compared with the medinas in Fes or Marrakech.

Entry is free and the quarter is open at the same hours as the surrounding city — most shops trade roughly 9:30–13:00 and 15:00–19:00, with Friday midday closures for prayer. Late morning to early afternoon is the most active window, when the pastry stocks are full and the artisans are open. A natural second stop after the Hassan II Mosque or a standalone hour-long visit if you are near the Royal Palace area; many visitors pair it with lunch at a nearby traditional restaurant.