Kutubīyah Mosque

mosque, Marrakech, Morocco

Also known as: Booksellers’ Mosque, Koutoubia Mosque, Kutubiyyah Mosque(Show More)

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June 30, 2026

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The Kutubiyyah Mosque, located in Marrakech, Morocco, is a significant example of Almohad architecture. Its most prominent feature is its 12th-century minaret, which stands 253 feet (77 meters) tall and was constructed by Spanish captives. Minarets, like the one at Kutubiyyah, are towers connected to mosques from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer five times daily. The Kutubiyyah Mosque is situated in the medina, the ancient part of Marrakech, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Marrakech itself was founded in the mid-11th century and has served as the capital for various dynasties, contributing to its rich historical and architectural landscape.12

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Almohads
The Booksellers’ Mosque (Kutubiyyah) in Marrakech and the older parts of the mosque of Taza date from his reign. Neither did the movement for a return to traditionalist Islam survive; both the mystical movement of the Sufis and the philosophical schools represented by Ibn Ṭufayl and Averroës (Ibn…
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The Booksellers’ Mosque (Kutubiyyah) in Marrakech and the older parts of the mosque of Taza date from his reign. Neither did the movement for a return to traditionalist Islam survive; both the mystical movement of the Sufis and the philosophical schools represented by Ibn Ṭufayl and Averroës (Ibn…
Read More

Islamic arts
Western Islamic art: Moorish
…in Rabat, or of the Kutubiyyah (Koutoubia) in Marrakech. They are all austere hypostyles with tall, massive, square minarets. The other distinctive type of architecture was that built for military purposes, including fortifications and, especially, massive city gates with low-slung horseshoe arches, such as the Oudaia Gate at Rabat (12th…
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…in Rabat, or of the Kutubiyyah (Koutoubia) in Marrakech. They are all austere hypostyles with tall, massive, square minarets. The other distinctive type of architecture was that built for military purposes, including fortifications and, especially, massive city gates with low-slung horseshoe arches, such as the Oudaia Gate at Rabat (12th…
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Marrakech
Nearby is the 12th-century Kutubiyyah (Koutoubia) Mosque with its 253-foot (77-metre) minaret, built by Spanish captives. The 16th-century Saʿdī Mausoleum, the 18th-century Dar el-Beïda Palace (now a hospital), and the 19th-century Bahia royal residence reflect the city’s historical growth. Much of the medina is still surrounded by 12th-century walls;…
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Nearby is the 12th-century Kutubiyyah (Koutoubia) Mosque with its 253-foot (77-metre) minaret, built by Spanish captives. The 16th-century Saʿdī Mausoleum, the 18th-century Dar el-Beïda Palace (now a hospital), and the 19th-century Bahia royal residence reflect the city’s historical growth. Much of the medina is still surrounded by 12th-century walls;…
Read More