Description of the attraction
The Ali Ben Yusuf Mosque in Marrakech is one of the city's historical landmarks and the oldest Muslim religious building. All city quarters are built around this magnificent monument of Arab architecture.
The mosque was built in honor of Sidi Yusuf ibn Ali Sahaji. Today he is one of the seven patron saints of the city of Marrakech. Sidi Yusuf ibn Ali Sahaji was sick with leprosy and lived in a cave. Muslims loved and honored him for his humility, deep faith and righteous lifestyle.
The mosque has a very interesting history. It was originally built in the XII century. by order of Emir Ali ibn Yusuf of the Almoravids. After the Almohads came to power, who ruled Marrakesh in the second half of the XII century, the building of the mosque was almost completely destroyed. The mosque was rebuilt again during the reign of the Saadid dynasty by order of the Moroccan ruler Abdallah al-Ghalib. He also ordered the construction of a madrasah school at the temple, which is still operating today.
The total area of the Ali ben Yusuf mosque is 9.6 thousand square meters. Initially, its architecture was almost the simplest of all possible options. In the XVI and XIX Art. an extensive reconstruction of the Muslim temple was carried out, after which it changed beyond recognition.
In the appearance of the mosque, the Arab architecture of Marrakesh is very well traced. Limestone, stone and cedar were used in its construction. A little later, a minaret tower was added to the mosque, the height of which is 40 meters. The minaret can be seen from almost all points of the city.
Only Muslims can visit the mosque; people of other faiths are not allowed to enter it. Therefore, unfortunately, you can only appreciate the beauty of the architectural structure from the outside. For non-Muslims, it still remains a mystery how the interior of the mosque actually looks like.
