Monuments of Marrakesh

El Badi Palace
Construction of the El Badi Palace was ordered by the Saadien Ahmed el Mansour in 1578 and was not yet completed upon his death in 1603. The most precious materials that could be located were purchased for its creation, all the way to China. There is a beautiful view of Marrakesh from the terraces.

Koutoubia Minaret
Dating from the twelfth century, the Koutoubia Minaret measures 69 meters (as tall as Notre Dame in Paris), and is the first thing seen by visitors to Marrakech. Each arch and façade of the Koutoubia Mosque is different. The surrounding gardens include the Almoravid Palace remains as well as those of a mosque that was destroyed because it was not perfectly aligned with Mecca. Non Muslims cannot visit the interior of the mosque or minaret.

Saadian Tombs
One of the most visited sites in Morocco is the Saadian Tombs which were only accessible via the mosque next door. However, in 1917 they were opened to the public and can now be accessed via a narrow passage that leads to an enclosed garden watched over by two mausoleums that include more than one hundred mosaic decorated tombs.

Palace Bahia
The Palace Bahia was constructed around 1880 by Ba Ahmed, a Moroccan minister who assured the allegiance of Moulay Hassan and Abdelaziz. Ba Ahmed was more or less the leader of Morocco between 1894 and 1900. The palace is an extraordinary example of Moroccan art.


Dar Si Said
Dar Si Said was the home of the brother of Ba Ahmed and was constructed by the same artisans that built the Bahia Palace. Today the Museum of Moroccan Art is housed here and the expos give a good representation of the history of Marrakesh.

Medersa Ben Youssef
the medersa Ben Youssef is one of the historic buildings most important with Marrakech. It is also one of largest the medersas of the Maghreb. It was raised by Saadiens Abd Allah Al Ghâlib in 1564-1565, this and attested by inscriptions on the capitals of the room of prayer and on the lintel of the door of entry. The medersa has a quadrilateral plan of a surface of 1680m2; it includes a room of prayer and rooms for the students 130. As a whole the medersa constitutes a true reflection of the magnificence of art saadien..

Mouassine Fountain
It is most important of the public fountains of Marrakech. It was built on the initiative of the sultan Saadien Moulay Abdallah in 1570. The access of the fountain is interdict to the public. The hood which caps the entry, superb, can be admired by all

Ménara
Since Bab el-Jedid, a broad long avenue on 2 km the district of the wintering which gathers the villas cossues and the hotels of luxury, then led to the garden of Ménara. Planted olive-trees, the park extends on a hundred from hectares and has in its center an immense basin of XIIe century which a beam of convergent drains feeds. At the edge of water, a small Saadien house completely altered at last century takes, the falling evening, of beautiful gilded colours. It was the amorous meeting of the sultans. According to a legend, one of them had habit, with the rising of the sun, to throw in the basin his/her partner of the night The house of Ménara In the district of Ménara are sumptuous gardens, primarily made up of olive groves, in the medium of which a large basin was dug. In the prolongation of this one, a house is drawn up; set up fine of the XIXème century by the sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah, the sight that there is balconies giving on the basin is magic: beyond the olive grove, the town of Marrakech on a bottom of High Atlas.

Doors of Marrakech
The Marrakech Medina is entirely surrounded by 19 kilometers of bored ramparts of 18 doors, the "Bab" which often adopt the religious form of the mihrab. The original wall was built by Almoravide Ali Ben Youssef at the beginning of XIIème century to protect itself from the external attacks. The layout almoravide of the wall was destroyed in its southern part. The ramparts are built entirely out of cob according to a secular technique put in point in Phrygie at VIIème century before JC. Wood tables, facing per pair, are made interdependent by iron stems or wood sticks to the desired width, like does it the modern industry of the building with... before running the concrete. Instead of concrete, it is a red, finely filtered mixture of sand and lime which is used, this mixture being humidified and being packed with the mass. In spite of its fragile aspect, the longevity of the constructions built according to this technique is exceptional, and the essence of the wall is of origin almoravide and goes up at almost 900 years. See plane city.

Old Bab Fès (carries of Fès) become Bab Khémis (the door of Thursday), as Bab Debbagh (the door of the Tanners), both located on the Northern part Is enclosure date from the time almoravide as well as the part of the walls close to these two doors. The enclosure was gradually pushed back by the successive sovereigns until the XVIIIème century when she knew her definite location. Since this date, it is regularly restored. Currently, work of restoration is in the zone of Bab Aïlen. See chart. The turn of the ramparts, carried out at the end of the afternoon, when the rays of the setting sun illuminate of an iridescent light the red walls are impossible to circumvent visit of this city Of many barouches, stationed on the place Djemâa El Fna or close to Bab Kob, proposes a full rotation to you, which lasts 2 hours, and the double, if you benefit from it to ask coachman 3 or 4 halts allowing you to cross with foot some doors leaving access to districts be seen absolutely: Bab er Robb and Bab Agnaou for the unforgettable district of the Kasbah, in the c?ur of which we can find you a sumptuous riad to rent, or Bab Debbagh to see the tanners, or Bab Aghmat by which the troops almohades of Abd El Moumen seize the city in 1147. The tariff of the barouches used with 3 or 4 people is negotiated around 100 Dhs the hour. A turn of the ramparts in the barouche ideal lasts 4 hours, supposes some pedestrian displacements, and borrows the following circuit: You take your barouche in the file of those which wait Bab Nkob, broad perforated by which the avenue Mohamed V joined Koutouba and the médina and take the avenue El Yarmouk until Bab Jdid, that on your left You leave go along the wall which separates you from the park of Mamounia. With the round not on which you arrive 500 meters further, you continue to go along by the line the Moslem cemetery of Bab Ech Charia sheltering the mausoleum of the one of the 7 saints of Marrakech: Sidi Es Souhaili.(See history). This mausoleum is interdict of access to nonthe Moslems - Morocco comprising only 4 saint places whose visit is authorized with the noan-musulans (see Islam page). BabEch Charia, walled today, is built at the place or the troops Almohades d' Abd El Moumen bored defenses almoravides into 1147 before massacring all the close relations of the former règnante family. You arrive at Bab er Robb. You leave your barouche and gain with 30 meters Bab Agnaou, which constitutes the entry of the district of the Kasbah of Almohades

Bab Agnaou constitutes one of the tops in the architectural plan of the culture almohade of XIIème century, and gives access to the Saadiens Tombs to 50 meters. You take again your barouche for you direct towards Bab Ksiba and enter the old city by Bab Ighli. You leave on your line the teacher training school, and cross Large Mechouar, which separates into two the royal Palate. With the other end, in Bab El Makhze, continue straight in a street rather broad, but populeuse, or you will be able to acquire a water bottle near one of the small grocer of the street. 200 meters in front of you, Bab Rhmat. At its exit, you take the round not and turn left towards Bab Aghmat then BabAïlen always while going along the remparts.C' is with the height of Bab Aïlen that the mosque of Cadi Ayad Ben Moussa is. It is also by this door that Almohhades in vain tried to seize Marrakech in 1129. Further, you arrive at the one of the two doors which serve the district of the tanners: Bab ED Debbagh and Bab Kechich. By bringing you closer the basins, you will have with the spirit and the nose some of the principal natural chemical elements useful for the tanning: urinate of bovine, acid sulfuriquic, droppings of pigeon... Continuing your tour, you will arrive at imposing Bab El Khemis, the door of Thursday, kept by two imposing bastions. From there share the road of Fez, it is also the point of passage for which would like to go to Medersa Ben Youssef.

From Bab El Khemis, your barouche will take the road of the Palm plantation to the road station of Bab Doukhala, built in XIIème century by Almoravides. From there, you are with 400 meters of Bab El Raha. The following stage is Bab Nkob from where you left.

THE TURN OF THE RAMPARTS. On ten kilometers, the ramparts of Marrakech form an imposing clay cob enclosure and lime. The wall, high from 8 to 10 m, is bored of ten monumental doors of style hispano-Moorish of which some were used as model in other cities of Morocco. Raised at the beginning of XIIe century, the enclosure was widened at the time of the successive enlargings of the médina, at the end of XIIè century, then at the XVIIe century. To carry out, of door in door, the turn of the ramparts, the route begins PLACE OF FREEDOM, in the west of the médina. In the northern part of the wall, the ruins of BAB EL-RAHA rise, of which there does not remain that a bay then is drawn up right before the road station, BAB DOUKALA. This door, built under the reign of Almoravides, draws its name from a territory which extended to north from the city where the district of the leprous one was formerly established, of Marrakech. The turn takes one moment the road of Fès, then led to the septentrional point of the ramparts.

BAB DOUKKALA. It opens in the North-West, on the road of the Doukkala country, the name of the people now established in the plain located in the back-country of El Jadida. BAB EL-KHEMIS. Surrounded of two massive bastions intended to protect the principal access to the North-East from the médina, Bab el-Khemis (the door of Thursday) in the past called carries of Fès, opens on the esplanade where Thursday a souk with the cattle becomes animated. The local legend tells that the casements whose door is equipped would have been brought back of Andalusia by a sultan.

BAB ED-DEBBAGH. Made of five elbows to defend the entry is médina, Bab ED-Debbagh gives access to the district of the tanners. To benefit from water and space necessary to the preparation from the skins and to involve the bitter odors their workshops out of the city, the tanners settled since XIIe century outside the médina, near the Issil wadi. It is inside the enclosure, on the other side of the door, that the craftsmen of leather were established. The leather working of Marrakech is an ancestral tradition of international reputation. The origin of its name comes from the name "Morocco", in the past allotted to Marrakech, and which will indicate the entire country later. The vogue of the morocco dates, in Europe, of the Rebirth. Leather in the beginning was especially used for the binding. In spite of the increasing establishment of the industrial tanneries, one can still discover around Bab ED-Debbagh the traditional methods of treatment of the skins and the work of leathers.

BAB AYLEN. It is here that Almohades were overcome in 1129 whereas they tried to seize Marrakech. The door was built, three years earlier, at the same time as the first ramparts by Almoravides, under the reign of Ali Ben Youssef, to prevent Almohades from entering the city. It preserved the name of a Berber tribe.

BAB AGHMAT. The entry is médina took the name of a village, formerly capital regional of the VALLEY OF LOUKIKA. It is by this door that Almohades penetrated in the city, in 1147, following a seat, of a famine and lassitude of the discouraged Christian mercenaries, to which Abd el-Moumen had promised the safe life. Opposite Bab Aghmat draws up the ZAOUIA OF SIDI YOUSSEF BEN ALI, a saint, reached leprosy, died in 1196, and of which the continuous tomb to attract considerable faithful. It is one of seven patron saint of Marrakech. A pilgrimage on the tombs of the seven guards of the city was instituted by Moulay Ismaïl to regild the blazon of Marrakech which suffered, on the religious level, of the ronsardienne of the pilgrimage of the seven Regraga saints around Essaouira. This annual demonstration had much success, but as from the XVIIIe century was highly disputed by the orthodoxe Moslems. The latter recalled that, from the Koranic precepts believing it could address prayers only to God alone. Today, the familiar expression "outward journey with the seven men" is still used: it signilie "to go in Marrakech".

BAB AHMAR Behind the largest cemetery of Marrakech, rises Bab Ahmar, the red door, built by Alaouites at the XVIIIe century. Exclusively borrowed by the sultans to go in their palate, this door makes it possible today - when the king does not remain in Marrakech - to reach the place of Méchouar which is next to DAR EI.-MAKHZEN. The royal palate, built by Almohades in XIIe century, was reorganized in XVIe century by Saadiens, then restored at the XVIIe century by Alaouites. Méchouar (place of weapons) interior led to the GARDEN OF LAGDAL and the LARGE MECHOUAR where, in second half of the XVIIIe century and at the XIXe century, of the prestigious festivals were organized. On this immense place of weapons, the best riders took part in the fantasias organized at the time of the moussems (religious festivals). BAB ER-ROB. Since BAB IGHLI, located at the bottom of Large Méchouar, the turn of the ramparts leads to Bab Ksiba then in Bab er-Rob (the door of the grape juice). This door almohade covered an important defensive role since it connected the médina to the kasbah (strengthened district). Yacoub el-Mansour had prohibited that the thickened juice of grape (kind of cooked wine which one raffolait at the time) that is to say introduced with Marrakech by another door, so as to control the traffic of it. It is on the casements of Bab er-Rob that the sultan mérinide Abou Thabit made expose, in 1308, six hundred heads of revolted. Still partly walled, the door shelters a store of potteries today. In the medium of the close cemetery Bab ech-Charia, the door built in Xlle century by Almohades rises, then in the axis of the long avenue of Ménara draws up BAB EL-JEDID. It is with a few tens of meters of this door that the famous hotel of Mamounia is.

The gardens of Marrakech
The garden of Majorelle, property acquired in 1922 by the painter of the same name, is an oasis in the heart of the city. Splendid garden with the rare and varied gasolines form a tropical vegetable mixture of dream. You will be able also to walk you in the orchards and plantations of olive-trees of the gardens of Agdal, of Menara, avoided immense basins refreshing the atmosphere

Souks
The history through monuments... however it one, is crossed from there several times to go from a building to another. Which? Souks, of course! Because it is a monument, a made collective monument of lanes, dead ends, houses, and shops, a monument of life with all these merchants and the crowd of barges in search of the thing or the food product, object of their desire, where quite simply for the pleasure of strolling. A monument almost as old as Marrakech, linking XIIe century at the end of the XXe. True labyrinth where one enjoys oneself in fouiner among the hundreds of gravers proposing the know-how of art and the Moroccan craft industry: invaluable pieces of wood, coloured potteries, copper and metals, carpets, fabrics, jewels silver, fabrics, leather, spices, perfumes...

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