Bab Agnaou

You're standing before the most beautiful gate in Marrakech. Unlike almost all the others, which are made of rammed earth, this one is built of stone, probably sandstone quarried around Guéliz, which is why its carving has survived so well.

1The way into the caliph's city

Bab Agnaou is attributed to the Almohad caliph Ya'qub al-Mansur and was completed around 1188-1190. It was not a gate in the outer walls but the main entrance to the kasbah, the citadel where the ruler and his court lived. Since it already stood inside the city, its role was largely ceremonial: to impress anyone coming to see the caliph.

It was originally flanked by two towers, and the passage turned a corner beneath a vault. The towers have gone, and the archway was later narrowed, probably in the 18th century under Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah.

2A mysterious name

The name appears to be Berber, but its meaning is uncertain. Suggestions include 'the mute ones', 'Black people', in connection with the Gnawa, and even 'hornless ram'. The gate was also known as Bab al-Qasr, the 'palace gate'.

The Kufic inscription reproduces verses from Surat al-Hijr describing the gardens of paradise.

3What to look for

• The band of Kufic lettering framing the arches.
• The spandrels, the triangles above the arch, each decorated with a shell surrounded by leaves.
• The worn stone near the top: salts in the mortar and air pollution are eating away at it.