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Koutoubia Mosque, Koutoubia Marrakesh, Mosque Morocco, Koutobia
Koutoubia Mosque
Koutoubia Facts
The Koutuobia Minaret the largest mosque in Marrakech,
Morocco. The minaret was completed under the reign of Almohad Caliph Yacoub
el-Mansour in the end of the 12th century and was used as model for Giralda of
Seville then for the Hassan Tower of Rabat.
The name is derived from the Arabic al-Koutoubiyyin for librarian, since it used
to be surrounded by sellers of manuscripts. It is considered the ultimate
structure of its kind. The tower is 69 m (221 ft) in height and has a lateral
length of 12.8 m (41 ft). Six rooms (one above the other) constitute the
interior; leading around them is a ramp by way of which the muezzin could ride
up to the balcony. It is built in a traditional Almohad style and the tower is
adorned with four copper globes.
According to legend, they were originally made of pure gold, and there were once
supposed to have been only three. The fourth was donated by the wife of Yacoub
el-Mansour as compensation for her failure to keep the fast for one day during
the month of Ramadan. She had her golden jewelry melted down to fashion the
fourth globe.
Read more about Kouboubia? Click here:
Koutoubia on WIKI
More Photos of Marrakesh? Click here:
Photos de Marrakech
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