Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Koutoubia Mosque
Its minaret is the city's pre-eminent monument, towering above all else and
has always been the first visible sign of Marrakech for travellers approaching
from afar. This is wholly fitting, because the mosque is not only the city's
main place of worship, it is also one of the city's oldest buildings, dating back
to the 12th century, not long after Marrakech was founded. The designer of
the Koutoubia minaret went on to create Tour Hassan in the Moroccan
capital, Rabat and the tower of the Giralda in Seville. Unfortunately, as with
nearly all mosques and shrines in Morocco, non-Muslims are not permitted to
enter the Koutoubia.
Top 10 Features
1 Mosque of the Booksellers
2 Minaret
3 The minaret decoration
4 The mosque plan
5 Prayer times
6 Ruins of the Almohad
Mosque
7 Dar El Hajar
8 Koubba Lalla Zohra
9 Koutoubia Gardens
0 Tomb of Yousef
Ben Tachfine
The Prayer Hall entrance
Although access is
denied to non-
Muslims, one of the
doors on the east
wall is often open
and you can peer
through for a view
of the impressive
main prayer hall
and its seemingly
endless arcades of
horseshoe arches.
!
Mosque of the
Booksellers
The Koutoubia was built in
1158. Its name means the
Mosque of the Booksellers,
which is a reference to a
small market that once
existed in the neighbour-
hood, where worshippers
could buy copies of
religious tracts.
Pizzeria Venezia
(see
p65),
which is just
across the road from
the Koutoubia, has a
rooftop terrace that
offers excellent views
of the mosque and
minaret.
• Map H4
• Avenue Bab Jedid,
Medina
• Mosque: Open only
during prayer times
(see right); closed to all
non-Muslims
• Gardens: free entry
to both Muslims and
non-Muslims
@
Minaret
The purpose of a
minaret is to provide a
high platform from which
the
muezzin
can make the
five-times-daily call to
prayer. Rather than a
staircase, the Koutoubia's
towering minaret
(left)
has
a spiralling ramp wide
enough for a horse to be
ridden to the top.
12
For more information on Islam and the regulations for visiting
mosques,
see p106.
