Almoravid Koubba
Koubba Almoravide (Qubba Ba'adiyn)Almoravid Koubba, Marrakech: hours, ticket prices and tips for the city's oldest standing building, a 12th-century ablutions dome near Ben Youssef.
The Koubba is a small domed pavilion sunk below street level, a few steps from Ben Youssef. It is one of the few Almoravid buildings left in Marrakech.
Ali ibn Yusuf built it in the early 12th century, in 1117 or more likely 1125; the year in its inscription cannot be read. It served for ablutions before prayer, probably for the great mosque that stood nearby.
Later building buried more than half of it under 7–8 metres of debris. It was documented in 1947 and dug out in the years after.
Go down and look up: the dome is carved inside with palms, pine cones, shells and calligraphy, with four tiny muqarnas cupolas in the corners. That ceiling is the whole visit, and it takes ten minutes.
Good to know
- Steps lead down to the dome, which stands well below the street.
- Most of what there is to see is overhead.
- It is a short visit for the price; worth it for lovers of early Islamic architecture.
Sources: e-services.minculture.gov.ma, e-services.minculture.gov.ma, en.wikipedia.org