MosqueFree entry

Koutoubia Mosque

#2of 9 places to visit in MarrakechMarrakech, Marrakech-Safi, Morocco

Also known as Kutubiyya Mosque · Jami' al-Kutubiyya · Booksellers' Mosque

Quick answer

Opening hours: No fixed opening hours. Entry is free. Allow 45 min. Best time: Late afternoon to sunset.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Opening hours: No fixed hours; Exterior and gardens accessible around the clock; the gardens are best visited from dawn until late evening. The prayer hall is open to Muslim worshippers only, at the five daily prayer times.
Entry fee: Free
Time needed: 45 min
Best time of day: Late afternoon to sunset
Best months: Mar – May, Sep – Nov
Address: Rue Koutoubia, Medina, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco

About Koutoubia Mosque

Koutoubia Mosque has a minaret about 77 metres tall, the highest structure in the Marrakech medina, and non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque or the tower, as of 2026. The tower is a plain red-buff sandstone shaft, square in plan and roughly 13 metres to a side, with a lantern-shaped finial and a top-tier ornament of three gilded copper spheres. Decorated panels of carved arches, palmettes and interlaced brickwork vary from face to face and step down in scale, a pattern that later Almohad towers in Rabat and Seville copied. Koutoubia Mosque is the reference point for the whole city: central Marrakech is conventionally built lower than its minaret, and the tower is the fixed landmark for orientation across the medina. Visitors see it from the free Koutoubia Gardens to its south and west, where fountain-lined paths and rows of orange trees give the best unobstructed view.

Best time of day: Late afternoon to sunset. When the sandstone minaret turns from buff to rose and the call to prayer carries across the gardens.

Koutoubia Mosque timings

Opening hours: No fixed hours; Mon–Sun No fixed hours; Exterior and gardens accessible around the clock; the gardens are best visited from dawn until late evening. The prayer hall is open to Muslim worshippers only, at the five daily prayer times.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	No fixed hours

Good to know: The call to prayer is amplified five times daily; during Ramadan the area around the mosque is busiest at sunset and after the evening prayers.

Opening hours compiled from archnet.org and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Koutoubia Mosque ticket price

Entry fees for Koutoubia Mosque
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	Free
Concession (student / senior)	Free
Children	Free

Koutoubia Mosque charges no fee, as of 2026, but non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque or the minaret. The surrounding Koutoubia Gardens and the exterior are open to all visitors at no charge.

Prices compiled from archnet.org and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Koutoubia Mosque

Quiet
Moderate
Busy

07:00 - 10:00
Early Morning CalmBest time to go
The gardens are close to empty apart from joggers and early photographers; the best window for clear, tour-group-free views of the minaret.
Quiet
10:00 - 15:00
Tour Group Hours
Coach and walking groups stop at the gardens for photographs; queues do not form because there is no entry, but the best photo angles are shared.
Moderate
15:00 - 18:30
Golden Light Rush
Photographers and families gather at the gardens as the sandstone warms; benches near the fountains fill first.
Busy
18:30 - 21:00
Evening Call to Prayer
Worshippers arrive for the sunset and evening prayers and visitors linger to hear the call; the minaret is floodlit after dark.
Busy

History of Koutoubia Mosque

Koutoubia Mosque was built in the mid-12th century after the Almohad sultan Abd al-Mu'min conquered Marrakech in 1147. Archaeologists uncovered the foundations of an earlier mosque next to the present one, which is commonly explained as having been misaligned with the qibla (the direction of Mecca); the second mosque was completed around 1158, and the minaret followed later in the same century. The name comes from the Arabic kutubiyyin, or booksellers, because the manuscript market once stood in the lanes at its base.

Koutoubia Mosque's minaret is the model for the Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat, and its square-shaft, lantern-topped form became an Almohad template. The September 2023 Al Haouz earthquake cracked the minaret and shook the surrounding area, though the tower stayed upright; press reports at the time described deep cracks and the Moroccan authorities carried out inspection and repair work. Verify current structural status with the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, because public information on repair progress is limited. The mosque remains in daily use for the five prayers.

Rules & etiquette at Koutoubia Mosque

Koutoubia Mosque is a functioning house of worship, and non-Muslims are not permitted inside the prayer hall or the minaret. Do not try to enter through the doors; security staff and worshippers will turn visitors back, and it is not a matter for bargaining with an informal guide.

Koutoubia Mosque expects modest dress on the approach: covered shoulders and knees for both men and women. Photography of the exterior and minaret is fine, but photographing worshippers close-up, especially women, is disrespectful and can provoke confrontation. Drones are tightly restricted in Morocco, and flying one over the mosque or the medina without official authorisation risks confiscation. Silence during the call to prayer is expected near the gate.

Tips for visiting Koutoubia Mosque

1
Koutoubia Mosque is easiest to combine with a walk from Jemaa el-Fnaa, about 10 minutes on foot along Avenue Mohammed V and past the horse-drawn caleche stand; agree a caleche price before boarding if you take one, since standard city tours are quoted per carriage rather than per person. Sit on a bench in the Koutoubia Gardens rather than at the cafes on the road, where terrace prices are higher.
2
Koutoubia Mosque photographs best from the south-west corner of the gardens in late afternoon, when the low sun lights the carved panels and the tower is reflected in the fountain pools. Informal guides sometimes wait at the gardens' entrance and offer a tour of the exterior for MAD 50-100; a walk around the grounds needs no guide. The nearest place to get a taxi is the rank on Avenue Mohammed V, and the walk back to the square is flat and shaded after dusk.

How to reach Koutoubia Mosque

The red star is Koutoubia Mosque; the numbered pins are the 7 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Rue Koutoubia, Medina, 40000 Marrakech, MoroccoDirections in Google Maps

From Jemaa el-Fnaa
0.6 km · 8-12 min
Free on foot; a petit taxi between the two starts near MAD 7 on the meter
From Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)
5 km · 20-35 min
Bus 19: MAD 30 one-way (as of 2026); petit taxi commonly quoted at MAD 100-150 fixed, sources conflict

Nearest airport

From Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)

approximately 5 km, 15-25 minutes by taxi.

Nearest station

From Marrakech railway station (ONCF)

approximately 4 km, 10-20 minutes by taxi; no rail station at the mosque.

Koutoubia Mosque FAQs

Can non-Muslims enter Koutoubia Mosque?

No. Non-Muslims are not permitted inside Koutoubia Mosque or its minaret, as of 2026. Visitors can see the exterior and the free Koutoubia Gardens.

How tall is the Koutoubia minaret?

The Koutoubia minaret is about 77 metres tall, including its lantern and finial, and about 13 metres wide at the base. It is the tallest structure in the Marrakech medina and is built from local sandstone.

Was Koutoubia Mosque damaged in the 2023 earthquake?

Yes. The September 2023 Al Haouz earthquake caused cracks in the Koutoubia minaret, though the tower remained standing and the mosque is still in use. Verify current repair status with the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs.

Why is Koutoubia Mosque called the Booksellers' Mosque?

The name comes from the Arabic kutubiyyin, meaning booksellers, because a manuscript market operated in the lanes around the mosque during the Almohad period. The story is well documented in traditional accounts, but exact market dates are not firmly recorded.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places