1. Home
  2. Morocco
  3. Marrakesh
  4. History

Marrakesh · History

Almohads, Saadians and Viziers: Eight Centuries of Power

Marrakech was the capital of three great dynasties, and each one left its signature in stone. On this route you'll walk from the Almohad Koutoubia to the sultans' kasbah, step down into the Saadian necropolis, explore the ruins of a palace stripped bare by its successor, and finish in the Mellah and at the Bahia Palace, where Morocco was governed little more than a century ago.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.6 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Bab Agnaou gate with carved stone arches

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Koutoubia MosqueThe stone minaret that set the pattern for Seville's Giralda and has marked the centre of Marrakech for more than eight centuries.
  2. 2 Bab AgnaouThe carved stone gate into the Almohad caliphs' citadel, with a name no one has ever fully explained.
  3. 3 Saadian TombsThe necropolis of a dynasty that lay hidden behind the walls of a mosque for nearly two centuries.
  4. 4 El Badi PalaceAhmad al-Mansur's 'Incomparable' palace, paid for with the gold of a battle and stripped stone by stone by a rival sultan.
  5. 5 The Mellah and the Lazama SynagogueThe Jewish quarter the Saadians created beside their palace, where a synagogue remembers the exiles from Sepharad.
  6. 6 Bahia PalaceA 19th-century grand vizier's residence with 150 rooms and a marble courtyard, looted within hours of its owner's death.

Loading the map…

Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Almohads, Saadians and Viziers: Eight Centuries of Power

Almohad Marrakech

A 77-metre minaret and a monumental 12th-century gate that are still standing.

Saadian splendour

Tombs of Italian marble and a palace paid for with the ransoms of a battle.

The 19th century

The Mellah and the palace of a grand vizier, looted within hours of his death.

Keep exploring

More routes in Marrakesh

Back to Marrakesh
Mysteries & legendsGolden Orbs, Storks and Saints: Legendary Marrakech MixedFrom the Great Square to the Medina's Hidden Gardens