Half-day, featuring the Koutoubia Mosque, the Saadian Tombs, The Bahia Palace, Djamaa El Fnaa Square and The souks.

The visit on the 25th October is included in the Accompanying person registration fee

The Koutoubia Mosque

The mosque and minaret, an emblem in Marrakesh.
The Monument dominates the whole town with its 77 m high minaret. Over time, the Koutoubia mosque has become an emblem of Marrakesh. Its construction was decided in 1158 by the sultan Almohades Abdel Moumen soon after his conquest of Marrakech. It was completed in 1199 with the construction of its famous minaret ordered by the sultan’s grandson, Yacoub el-Mansour. Koutoubia, literally the “Booksellers’ Mosque” in Arab, is named after the large number of sellers of books and manuscripts that set up their stalls in the immediate vicinity of the building from the 12th-13th century. In its early years it undoubtedly combined functions of library, university and Koranic school.

“ Only Muslims are allowed access to the mosque. Western tourists may simply admire the minaret and may catch a brief glimpse of the splendour of the Koutoubia mosque through the entrance door. ”

The Saadian Tombs

The only remnant that recounts the power and refinement of the Saadian dynasty.
Built by Ahmed El Mansour Eddahbi (1578-1603), the greatest of the Saadian rulers, at the end of the 16 C, and paid for with the gold that he had brought back from Tomboucktou. The tombs of 66 Royal Saadians lie within two buildings, each with three rooms and set in a garden.
Located on the side of the Kasbah mosque, the Saadian tombs are one of the only remnants of the Saadian dynasty that reigned over the golden age of Marrakech from 1524 to 1659. Indeed, at the start of the 18th century, the sultan Moulay Ismaïl decided to banish all trace of the magnificence of this dynasty, by demanding the destruction of all remaining remnants. However, he did not dare commit the sacrilege of destroying their graves and ordered that the entrance to the necropolis be walled. The secret was well-kept until 1917, when the site of the Saadian tombs was rediscovered.

The Bahia Palace

A small folly ordered in 1880 by the great vizier Sidi Moussa.
The Bahia palace is a small piece of folly ordered in 1880 by the great vizier Sidi Moussa. Successively at the service of sultans Moulay Hassan and Moulay Abd el-Aziz, Sidi Moussa was the de facto minister of the kingdom of Morocco. It is thought that he had this 160-room palace built for one of his official concubines, the Bahia palace meaning “palace of the beautiful”. The property is a succession of luxurious apartments and courtyards. The various interior gardens are sublimely luxurious with subtle stucco panels, tiled floors and zellij work decoration. The beauty of the Bahia palace makes it a remarkable example of the Eastern architecture of the 19th century that took 15 years to complete. The property is surrounded by a large 8 ha garden.