Landmark Africa
Koutoubia Mosque
The Koutoubia Mosque is in Marrakesh, Morocco. It has a tall square tower called a minaret!
The Koutoubia Mosque stands in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was built between 1147 and 1158 for the Almohad ruler Abd el Mou'men. Its minaret, 77 meters high, is the symbol of the city, according to UNESCO. The mosque is part of the Medina of Marrakesh World Heritage Site.
The Koutoubia Mosque was built in 1147-1158 for the Almohad ruler Abd el Mou'men, on the ruins of earlier Almoravid foundations. UNESCO calls its 77-meter minaret 'matchless', an essential monument of Muslim architecture, one of the important landmarks of the cityscape and the symbol of the city. It is one of the masterpieces UNESCO lists for the Medina of Marrakesh (1985).
Photo: Vlinder, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the Koutoubia Mosque
The Koutoubia Mosque is in Marrakesh, a city in Morocco. Morocco is a country in North Africa.
Its tower is 77 meters tall!
The Koutoubia Mosque stands in the Medina, the old walled city, of Marrakesh in Morocco. UNESCO calls its minaret, 77 meters high, one of the important landmarks of the city and the symbol of Marrakesh.
A minaret is the tower of a mosque. This one rises high above the palm trees and gardens around it.
The Koutoubia Mosque stands within the Medina of Marrakesh, whose original ramparts define the World Heritage property. UNESCO describes its minaret of 77 meters as 'matchless', an essential monument of Muslim architecture, one of the important landmarks of the urban landscape and the symbol of the city.
UNESCO lists the Koutoubia among the masterpieces of architecture and art in Marrakesh, each of which, it says, could on its own justify recognition.
- Where
- Marrakesh, Morocco
- Built
- 1147–1158
- Minaret
- 77 m
- World Heritage Site
- 1985 (Medina of Marrakesh)
Built for the Almohads
The mosque was built between 1147 and 1158.
A ruler named Abd el Mou'men had it built.
Marrakesh was founded in 1070 to 1072 by a ruling family called the Almoravids. In 1147 another dynasty, the Almohads, took over, and Marrakesh stayed the capital.
Between 1147 and 1158, the Almohad ruler Abd el Mou'men had the Koutoubia Mosque built on the ruins of Almoravid foundations.
UNESCO records that Marrakesh was founded in 1070-1072 by the Almoravids (1056-1147) and became the capital of the Almohads (1147-1269), a major political, economic and cultural center of the western Muslim world. ICOMOS adds that Marrakesh remained the capital under the Almohads and enjoyed new and unprecedented prosperity.
Between 1147 and 1158, Abd el Mou'men had the Koutoubia Mosque built upon the ruins of the Almoravid foundations. His successors Abou Yacoub Youssef and Yacoub el Mansour renovated the capital, adding new quarters and fortifying the Kasbah (1185-1190).
A minaret 77 meters high
The tower is square and very tall.
It has patterns carved around its windows, and colored tiles near the top.
The minaret is a square tower 77 meters high. In this photo you can see rows of small arched windows framed with carved patterns, a band of colored tiles near the top and a smaller tower on top, crowned by golden balls.
UNESCO calls it an essential monument of Muslim architecture.
ICOMOS calls the 77-meter minaret 'incomparable' and a key monument of Muslim architecture. The photograph shows a square shaft with small arched openings framed by carved patterns, a notched top above a band of colored tiles, and a narrower upper stage with its own tile band, a small dome and a finial of golden spheres.
UNESCO notes that the authenticity of the Medina's monuments is ensured by qualified workmanship carrying out restorations to current standards.
In the Medina of Marrakesh
The mosque is in the old part of Marrakesh, inside long walls.
In the old city there are gardens, palaces and an open square.
Around the mosque lies the Medina of Marrakesh, 700 hectares of lanes, houses, markets and workshops inside the old city walls. UNESCO lists other treasures here too: the ramparts and gates, the Kasbah, the ruins of the Badiâ Palace and the Ben Youssef madrasa.
In the Medina, Jamaâ El Fna Square is, in UNESCO's words, a true open-air theater.
UNESCO describes the 700-hectare Medina as a living historic town with its tangle of lanes, houses, souks, fondouks, crafts and traditional trades, enclosed by the original ramparts. Its listed masterpieces include the ramparts and monumental gates, the Koutoubia Mosque, the ruins of the Badiâ Palace, Bahia Palace and the Ménara water feature and pavilion.
ICOMOS notes that the palm grove east of the city, which it gives as about 13,000 hectares, is also credited to the Almoravids.
- Medina
- 700 ha
- Kasbah fortified
- 1185–1190
- Palm grove
- about 13,000 ha
- UNESCO criteria
- (i)(ii)(iv)(v)
The minaret above the trees
In this photo, the tall tower rises high above green trees and palm trees.
Can you see the golden balls at the very top?
This photo was taken on 12 May 2012. The minaret rises far above leafy trees, palm trees and red-tiled roofs, under a clear blue sky. You can see its carved windows, a band of colored tiles and the small top tower with golden balls.
UNESCO says the Medina is vulnerable to pressure from urban development.
The photograph (12 May 2012, by Vlinder) shows the upper part of the minaret above trees, palms and tiled roofs: the framed arched openings on its face, the tile band below the crenellations, the small upper stage with its ribbed dome and the finial of golden spheres.
UNESCO reports that the Medina's integrity is vulnerable to urban development pressure, uncontrolled alterations to upper floors of houses, abandoned khettaras (underground drainage galleries) and exploitation of the palm grove.
Amazing facts
-
UNESCO says this tower is the symbol of Marrakesh!
UNESCO calls the Koutoubia's minaret the symbol of the city of Marrakesh.
UNESCO describes the 77-meter minaret as one of the important landmarks of the urban landscape and the symbol of the city.
-
The mosque was built on top of older ruins!
The Koutoubia Mosque was built on the ruins of foundations left by the Almoravids, who founded Marrakesh.
ICOMOS records that Abd el Mou'men had the Koutoubia built upon the ruins of the Almoravid foundations between 1147 and 1158.
-
Long ago, Marrakesh gave its name to the empire of Morocco!
UNESCO says Marrakesh gave its name to the Moroccan empire.
Criterion (iv): Marrakesh, which gave its name to the Moroccan empire, is a completed example of a major Islamic capital of the western Mediterranean.
Words to know
- mosque
- a building where Muslims gather to pray
- minaret
- a tall tower that is part of a mosque
- medina
- the old walled part of a city in North Africa
- dynasty
- a family of rulers who rule one after another
- ramparts
- thick defensive walls around a town or fort
- finial
- a decoration on the very top of a roof or tower
Discovery challenge
-
In which country is the Koutoubia Mosque?
The Koutoubia Mosque stands in Marrakesh, in which country?
Marrakesh, which UNESCO says gave its name to an empire, is in which country?
- Morocco
- Mongolia
- Mexico
Show the answer
Morocco
Morocco!
Morocco.
Morocco.
-
How tall is the Koutoubia's tower?
How high is the Koutoubia's minaret?
What height do UNESCO and ICOMOS give for the minaret?
- 77 meters
- 7 meters
- 770 meters
Show the answer
77 meters
77 meters!
77 meters.
77 m.
-
Which ruling family built the Koutoubia Mosque?
Which dynasty's ruler, Abd el Mou'men, had the mosque built?
Under which dynasty, ruling Marrakesh from 1147, was the Koutoubia built?
- The Almohads
- The Romans
- The Vikings
Show the answer
The Almohads
The Almohads!
The Almohads.
The Almohads (1147-1269).
-
What is the tall tower of a mosque called?
What is the name for the Koutoubia's 77-meter tower?
Which part of the Koutoubia does UNESCO call the symbol of the city?
- The minaret
- The lighthouse
- The castle keep
Show the answer
The minaret
A minaret!
The minaret.
The minaret.
-
When did the old city of Marrakesh become a World Heritage Site?
In which year did UNESCO list the Medina of Marrakesh?
In which year was the Medina of Marrakesh inscribed on the World Heritage List?
- 1985
- 1885
- 2015
Show the answer
1985
1985!
1985.
1985.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Explain what a minaret is and why one tower can become a city's landmark.
- Describe how new rulers can build on top of older buildings.
- Explain what makes an old town a 'living' historic town.
Recommended ages: 4 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might one building become the symbol of a whole city?
- Why would builders put a new mosque on old foundations?
- How can people live and work in an old city and still protect it?
Try at home or in class
- Build a tall square tower from blocks, then decorate one level with a band of colored paper 'tiles'.
- Find Marrakesh, Rabat and the Atlantic coast on a map of Morocco.
Key vocabulary: mosque, minaret, medina, dynasty, ramparts, finial
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Medina of Marrakesh , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Advisory Body Evaluation: Medina of Marrakesh, No 331 , ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- File:Minaret of Koutoubia,Marrakech - panoramio.jpg (Vlinder, 12 May 2012) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.