KOUTOUBIA MOSQUE

Built by the Almohad dynasty in the late twelfth century Koutoubia is considered one of the most beautiful monuments in Morocco ....

The Koutoubia Mosque is located north of the Boulevard Mohammed V, near the consulate of France which was the home of BA HMAD. The name of the Koutoubia seems to derive from "kutubiyyun", referring to a bazaar of booksellers who were near the site of the mosque. It is a jewel of Almohad art, when the twelfth century which stands on the site of a palace Almoravid Ksar El Hajar Palace of stones, destroyed by the new masters of Marrakech in 1147.

The Koutoubia is constructed in two phases by Abdelmoumen in 1157 and 1163. Its minaret is one of the great monuments of Islam. Built in stone, it has, inside, not stairs, but a ramp that provides access to rooms covered with domes and its summit. Its height is 77 m. It includes records on the decorative facades above facts with ceramic green and white. The mosque has a square of 218 m with 7 spans.

Koutoubia hosted a minibar, recently restored and exhibited in the Badi Palace. This minbar, a masterpiece of Islamic art, was executed in Cordoba on the agenda Almoravid Sultan Youssef Ben Ali (1106-1143). He was transferred to his mosque in Marrakech. The Almohad started the Koutoubia in which he operated until the 1960s