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The Al Moravide Qoubba is the last vestige of the Al Moravides and one of the most beautiful examples of their architecture. It was built in Marrakech in 1064.

Also called “Qoubba Al Boudiyyin”, it consists of two sets: the qoubba, and the fountain.
The Qoubba was an ablution’s centre for people going to the mosque, and was built with stones from Gueliz, straw and lime; and it stayed almost intact throughout the centuries to be a testimonial of the refined art of the Al Moravides.

The complex was one of the first fountains of the city and thus ensured the water supply of the population and their animals. The three fountains and the ablution’s centre were supplied by a system of underground galleries, called the “khettaras” in Arabic, that ended up in a cistern from which interior bronze pipings brought water to the basins; they had an important drinkable water tank. This monument is also characterized by its finely engraved arches and its ceiling, which make of it a site of reference to the dynasty of the Al Moravides.

The Qoubba is characterized by its rectangular form, drawn by the four piles of its external frame that ends in an internal square, to moult itself then in an octagon in which the small dome with eight angles starts. This external beauty is in perfect harmony with the interior decoration of the Qoubba: eight arches decorated with floral designs crossed in a fabulous interlacing. The decoration of these arches shows the perfection of the Arabic-Andalusian art taking its inspiration from Grenada, Cordoue and others.
The Al Moravide Qoubba is located in front of the entry of the mosque Ben Youssef, a few meters away from the Museum of Marrakech. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., and the entry costs only 10 Dirhams.