History & heritage
Marrakech: from the Almoravids to the red city
The Almoravid foundation of 1070–72, the Koutoubia, the Saadian Tombs and the Badi Palace, the great residences, Jemaa el-Fna and the new town: Marrakech’s heritage, told plainly.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Jorge Franganillo · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsMarrakech was founded in 1070–72 by the Almoravids and remained for a long period a political, economic and cultural centre, UNESCO records, with an influence felt throughout the western Muslim world, from North Africa to Andalusia. Its medina, on the World Heritage List since 1985, still holds the monuments of each age.
At a glance
Founded: 1070–72, by the Almoravids (UNESCO).
UNESCO: the Medina of Marrakesh (World Heritage, 1985); the cultural space of Jemaa el-Fna (Intangible Cultural Heritage, proclaimed 2001, inscribed 2008).
The foundation
The Almoravids founded Marrakech in 1070–72. From that period date several of its impressive monuments, UNESCO notes: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Kasbah, the battlements, the monumental gates and the gardens.
The Koutoubia
The Koutoubia’s minaret rises 77 metres; the Moroccan National Tourist Office notes that its design inspired both the Hassan Tower in Rabat and the Giralda in Seville. The Menara gardens were founded by the Almohads.
The Saadian city
Later architectural jewels, UNESCO records, include the Badi Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Saadian Tombs.
The great residences
Several great residences belong to the later city: the Bahia Palace; Dar Si Saïd, built in the second half of the nineteenth century and now the national museum of weaving and carpets; and Dar el Bacha, built in 1910 and now the Musée des Confluences (fnm.ma).
A city founded in 1070, whose minaret inspired the Giralda in Seville.
The square
Jemaa el-Fna has been one of the symbols of the city since its foundation in the eleventh century, UNESCO notes, a place of daily commerce and of storytellers, musicians and performers.
The city today
Outside the walls grew the new town of Gueliz, where Le Grand Café de la Poste dates from the 1920s; La Mamounia has received guests since 1923; and the city now holds museums from the Musée Yves Saint Laurent to MACAAL.
Our advice: begin at the Koutoubia and Jemaa el-Fna; they explain the medina better than any book.
Why it's on our list
- The foundation
- The Koutoubia
- The Saadian city
- The great residences
- The square
- The city today
Location
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More in depth
The back storyThe red city: reading Marrakech’s great sightsThe Koutoubia’s minaret, the open-air theatre of Jemaa el-Fna, the Saadian Tombs, the ruins of El Badi and the courtyards of the Bahia and Ben Youssef: how to read the medina UNESCO listed in 1985.
The back storyFrom Majorelle blue to the festival: Marrakech’s artsThe Musée Yves Saint Laurent and the Berber museum at Majorelle, MACAAL’s African art, the photographs of the Maison de la Photographie, Dar el Bacha’s exhibitions, the music of Mouassine and the Marrakech International Film Festival.
The back storyWild Marrakech: Storks, Bulbuls, Macaques and the Eagles of the AtlasWhite storks nesting on the walls of El Badi, bulbuls in the gardens, Barbary macaques at the Ouzoud falls, and eagles, foxes and jackals in Toubkal National Park: the wild side of Marrakech.