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Al-Andalus & Europe
Koutoubia Mosque
Marrakesh, Morocco
Marrakesh's great mosque, its minaret (77 m) the highest landmark of the red city — the Almohad minaret type repeated by Seville's Giralda and Rabat's Hassan Tower — named for the book-sellers' souk that surrounded it in the Middle Ages.
Story & history
The first mosque was misaligned with the qibla, so the Almohad Abd al-Mu'min ordered a second, parallel one and abandoned the first. It was named for the book market around it, and its carved cedar minbar — a masterpiece of Maghrebi art now kept in the El Badi Palace museum — became proverbial. Its minaret remains Marrakesh's symbol in every book written about the city.
Getting there
Pin the site on the map or head straight there with your maps app; opening hours and access vary by season.
Quick facts
- Its minaret is the model of the Giralda and Hassan Tower
- Built on the site of an Almoravid palace
- The tallest building in the old city
Visiting tip
At sunset from the great square; the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa lies beside it.