Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The mosque
plan
The mosque is
rectangular in plan. The
relatively plain main east
entrance leads to a vast
prayer hall with its eight
bays and horseshoe
arches. North of the
prayer hall is a courtyard
with fountains and trees.
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The minaret
decoration
Originally the whole
minaret was encased in
tiles and carved stucco,
but now only two
shallow bands of blue
ceramics remain.
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Prayer times
Exact times of daily prayer change with the
seasons, but are observed pre-dawn, noon, late
afternoon, sunset and late evening, as indicated by
the
muezzin
. The most important prayers of the week
are those at noon on Friday.
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Ruins of the
Almohad Mosque
Next to the Koutoubia are
the remains of an earlier
mosque, circa 1147. The
bases of the prayer hall's
columns, secured behind
railings, are clearly visible
(left)
. They were revealed
during excavations by
Moroccan archaeologists.
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Dar El Hajar
Two wells on the piazza allow visitors to view the
buried remains of the Dar El Hajar, a fortress built by
the Almoravids. It was destroyed when the Almohads
captured the city
(see p32)
.
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Koubba Lalla
Heights of
Good Taste
The Koutoubia minaret's
continued domination of
the skyline is owed
largely to an enlight-
ened piece of legislation
by the city's former
French colonial rulers. It
was they who decreed
that no building in the
medina should rise
above the height of a
palm tree, and that
no building in the New
City should rise above
the height of the
Koutoubia's minaret.
The ruling holds good
even today. Only
Muslims may enjoy
the great view from the
top of the building.
Zohra
This white tomb
(below)
houses the body of Lalla
Zohra - a slave's daugh-
ter who transformed into
a dove each night.
)
Tomb of Yousef
Ben Tachfine
Just north of the
mosque, glimpsed
through a locked gate, is
a walled area containing
the dilapidated mauso-
leum of Yousef Ben
Tachfine, tribal leader of
the Almoravids, and the
man credited with the
founding of Marrakech.
(
Koutoubia
Gardens
South of the mosque is a
garden with a mix of
palms and deciduous
trees, topiary hedges and
colourful roses
(centre)
.
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For more information on the elements of Moroccan architecture,
see pp36-7.
