Koutoubia Minaret & Koutoubia Gardens, Marrakesh

Next to the Koutoubia Mosque is a vast park planted with palm trees and rose bushes. It is a great place for relaxing from the intensity of the medina, and for enjoying the views of the Koutoubia Minaret. This park is adjacent to the famous Mamounia Gardens, which, at the time of my visit, were closed for renovation.

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The Koutoubia is one of the biggest mosques in the Western Muslim world. Its hispano-moorish style is of an apparent simplicity combined with discreet luxury. This masterpiece was built by the Almohads in one of its imperial cities. Today, it's a starting point that's not to be missed before heading out to explore the medina.
The minaret of the Koutoubia is a square tower made of rose-coloured sandstone adorned with a delicate sculptured decoration that seems just like lacework on stone. The minaret is topped by a lantern, decorated and square, as well as a ribbed cupola. The close proportion between the width and height of the minaret of the mosque bestows a perfect harmony to this masterpiece of hispano-moorish art which was taken as a model for the Giralda in Seville. According to a legend, the three orbs of golden copper which crown the cupola were made from the melted down jewellery of Yacoub-el-Mansour's wife. Yacoub-el-Mansour completed the construction of the tower began by the sultan Abd el-Moumen. Another legend about the orbs says that they are guarded by genies (jin) and that terrible misfortunes will plague those who try to steal them.Koutoubia in Arabic means "the mosque of booksellers" because once, the surrounding shops were mostly dedicated to the sale of books and antique manuscripts. ( XII -XIII centuries.)The first mosque, erected after 1147, was later destroyed because its orientation towards Mecca wasn't correct. The foundation of the first mosque is still visible today. The construction of the current mosque, built according to the instructions of Abd el-Moumen, was completed in the same year construction started, in 1158, and ordered by Yacoub el-Mansour.
This splendid work of art is subdivided into 16 naves and a wider middle nave. Here, the luxurious almoravid ornamentation and the décor of Andalusian inspiration exalt the simplicity and pureness of its lines. The 11 stalactite cupolas, capitals and moulded structures make the Koutoubia one of the finest examples of Almohad art.

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This garden exists close to the Kotoubia mosque, different types of flowers, trees, fountains, and above all, the beauty of this garden makes a nice place to visit while on the way to Kotoubia or Jamaa El Fnaa square. It's free and open all day long.

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Well, you cannot go inside the mosque (see my local customs tip), but just the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque is a wonderful sight to see!

I have taken dozens of pictures just of this place - and I really love every one of them!

From most places in Marrakesh you can see the minaret - helpful and fascinating!

The name Koutoubia is a corruption of kutub, the Arabic root of words meaning "to write" or "books". The reason this is applied to the mosque, is because early descriptions tell of it being in the centre of a medina full of one hundred bookstores.

The start of the contruction dates from year 1147, but it was not completed until 1158. The tower (minaret) is 230 feet high and 42 feet square, and is quite a landmark in the town. At the time we visited it was the tallest building in the city - I am not sure whether that is still the case.

The tower has inner and outer walls with a ramp running up inbetween them, and it contains six vaulted chambers, one above the other.

It's a landmark in Marrakech.
Even when you've had a few drinks - which is isn't easy in Morocco - you can find your way back home just looking at the highest minaret in Marrakech.
That's whenh I took this picture

I won't give a lot of infromation about the Koutoubia Minaret - you can find it in any travel guide - but I'd like to give you this nice picture of the tallest monument in the city.

I think it's a very nice picture

View of The Koutoubia from the gardens in La Menara. This is the big Avenue that connects La Menara with the cities wall entrance heading to Koutoubia.
The minaret rises 77 metres above the ground. Its incredible how far you can actually see this mosque tower, this Avenue is pretty big, and still the tower can be seen and still have imponence.