Medina ramparts and gates

The pink-red walls that ring the medina are made of rammed earth, mud and soil mixed with straw and lime. They stand 6 to 8 metres high, with a square tower every 25 to 30 metres.

The Almoravid ruler Ali ibn Yusuf had the full circuit built in 1126–1127, in about eight months. The Almohads added the Kasbah to the south in the 1180s, and in the 18th century Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdallah pushed the walls north around the Sidi Bel Abbes quarter.

Look at the gates. Bab Doukkala keeps its original bent entrance, Bab Debbagh turns five times on the way to the tanneries, Bab Agnaou wears carved Almohad stone, and Bab er-Robb is the only gate set at a corner of the walls.

Earth walls need constant repair, so some stretches look brand new and others are crumbling. Parts fell in the September 2023 earthquake. Much of the outside runs along busy roads.