Marrakesh became the capital of a vast empire in the reign of
Youssef Ben Tachfine-an empire which, under the Almohads,
reached as for as the frontiers of Libya.
The first Almohad sovereign, Abdelmoumen began the construction
of the Koutoubia mosque, which his grandson Yacoub El Mansour
adorned with a superb minaret, still standing today. His son
Youssef had reservoirs dug and a spreading administrative
district constructed
Marrakesh reached the height of its glory. Built in the same
epoch as Seville's "la Giralda" and Rabat's "Tour Hassan", the
Koutoubia, dating from the 11th century, is a truc masterpiece
of hispano-moorish art. Its minaret rises to almost 70 metres.
The Badii Palace has long been regarded as a wonder of the
Muslim world. It was the sovereign Ahmed El Mansour Dahbi who
undertook construction of the palace following his victory over
the Portuguese in the year 986 of the hejira (1578), a victory
well-known in the Western World under the name of the Battle of
the Three Kings. The major construction work went on for sixteen
years.
Other marvels to be found in the Red City are the Dar Si Said
museum, containing much quintessential Moroccan art and
displaying the glittering array of gold and marble ornements
collected by Ahmed El Mansour (1578-1603), greatest of Saadian
rulers, the Medersa Ben Youssef, a koranic school founded in
1570 by Moulay Abdallah and a truc masterpiece of Merinid
architecture, the Agdal gardens, laid out in the 12th century
during the reign of Abdelmoumen and the Menara, a magnificent
artificiel lake fringed with flowers ...
Framed by the snowy heights of the Atlas, with rose-coloured
ramparts and a thousand year old palm grove, Marrakesh casts a
magic spell. Sumptuous and exuberant, it radiates splendour and
mysticism ; at the dye merchants, in the explosion of
multicoloured wools ; at Festival time, in the rhythm of the
music, in the emotion of the dancers ; in the idle talk of the
merchants and in the skill of the jugglers. Enchantment, you
feel in the shade of the blue gardens and in the overwhelming
perfection of the Koutoubia.
