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The name of the Koutoubia comes from the word “koutoubiyin” which means ‘booksellers’, because in the XIIth and XIIIth centuries, they used to sell their books on the square of the mosque, where was located at the time the souk of the merchants of manuscripts.

The Koutoubia is the most famous religious monument of Marrakech, and one of the largest mosques of the Muslim Occident. This mosque, of a simple appearance and a discrete luxury, has a great architectural pace, a decorative richness, and a complex history.

The construction of the Koutoubia mosque started during the Berber dynasty of the Al Moravides in 1120, and it was inaugurated in 1157. Its second sanctuary and minaret were built in 1158, following the order of Abd El Moumen just after he captured Marrakech. The mosque was extremely altered since 1162, under the Al Mohade dynasty, and became one of the most characteristic buildings of the Al Mohade artistic style.

The minaret, completed later under the reign of the sultan Yakoub El Mansour in the XIIth century, was more decorated. It is surmounted by three gilded copper balls which symbolize the terrestrial world, the celestial world, and the spiritual world. It is regarded as a great piece of the Hispano-Moorish art, and was used as a model for the Giralda of Seville, and the Hassan Tower in Rabat.

The Koutoubia occupies the place of an old Al Mohavide palace and was built after the demolition of a first mosque that was not correctly oriented towards the Mecque.

The famous mosque of the Koutoubia is traditionally designed on a T plan, and is made up of 16 peripheral naves and a central nave to the broader proportions.

From its 77 meters of height, the symbol of Marrakech and the pride of Marrakchis, the Koutoubia, dominates the city and its surroundings, and it is visible from more than 25 km.