History
History
Built by the Almohads in the 12th century, the Koutoubia, "mosque of the booksellers", named after the nearby manuscript souk, dominates Marrakech with its 77-metre minaret, completed under Yacoub el-Mansour around 1195. Its pink sandstone tower, decorated with interlacing arches and a band of turquoise faience, served as the model for the Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat.
An earlier mosque, poorly oriented towards Mecca, was demolished and rebuilt right next to it: traces of the first prayer hall can still be seen. No building in the medina is allowed to rise higher than its minaret.
Anecdotes & highlights
- Legend has it that the three golden orbs at its summit were cast from the melted jewellery of a sultan's wife, as penance.
- An interior ramp, not a staircase, allowed the muezzin to ride a horse up to the top.
- Its name comes from the dozens of book sellers once set up at its foot.
