🕌 Koutoubia Mosque (Marrakech)
Morocco
About This Sacred Site
The Koutoubia Mosque is the largest mosque in Marrakech and its most iconic landmark. Built by the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century, its 77-meter minaret has dominated the city's skyline for over 800 years and served as the model for the Giralda tower in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat. The minaret's proportions — the height is exactly five times the width — became the standard for Moroccan mosque architecture. The name 'Koutoubia' comes from the Arabic word for booksellers, as a book market once surrounded the mosque. The minaret is topped with four gilded copper spheres, and legend says the largest sphere was once made of gold, donated by the wife of Almohad ruler Yaqub al-Mansur as penance for breaking her Ramadan fast.
Key Facts
- •The 77-meter minaret served as the model for Seville's Giralda and Rabat's Hassan Tower
- •Built by the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century
- •Named after the booksellers' market (kutubiyyin) that once surrounded it
- •The minaret's proportions — height equals five times the width — became the Moroccan standard
- •Legend says the largest copper sphere was originally gold, donated as a Ramadan penance
Location
Coordinates: 31.6236, -7.9936
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