An overview of Marrakech – Part 5

Places not to miss – continued,

Koutoubia Mosque and Minaret - continued

Ruins of the Almohad Mosque

Next to the Koutoubia are the remains of an earlier mosque from 1147. The bases of the prayer hall’s columns which are secured behind railings are clearly visible. They were revealed during excavations by Moroccan archaeologists some time ago. Abd-al-Mu’min, who won the territory, was responsible for the construction of this first Koutoubia mosque on the grounds of the former palace of Ali ibn Yusuf in the southwestern district of the medina. This first mosque was built between 1147 and 1154 and completed in 1157. This first mosque was rebuilt under the Almohad Caliph Yacoub El-Mansour, because halfway through construction, the mihrab or prayer niche was found to be off-centre and not oriented towards Mecca and underwent many changes until the end of the 12th century. The first mosque was completed while the second mosque was under construction. The second mosque was built to be identical to the first except for its orientation.

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. You can find the Tomb of Yousef Ben Tachfine just north of the mosque. It can only be seen through a locked gate and is a walled area containing the rather run down mausoleum 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. The park itself spreads across two hectares and provides a pleasant green paradise of immaculately trimmed rose bushes, perfectly symmetrical walkways and plenty of shade-covered benches. You will often find many local Marrakchi people come here just to rest and enjoy the view. Within the gardens you will find Koubba Lalla Zohra, this a white tomb which houses the body of Lalla Zohra, a slave’s daughter who transformed into a dove each night. The legend surrounding her is that she was a women during the day, but transformed into a dove at night. This was to escape from the unwanted affections of her master and because of this she knew all the secrets of Marrakech.

The Koutoubia minaret’s continues to domination of the skyline because of a 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 still holds good even today.

Continued in part 6