The Ali bin Yusuf Mosque in Marrakech is one of the historical landmarks of the city and the oldest Muslim religious building. All the city's neighbourhoods are built around this majestic monument of Arab architecture.
The mosque was built in honour 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 had leprosy and lived in a cave. Muslims loved and honoured him for his humility, deep faith and righteous way of life.
The mosque has a very interesting history. It was originally erected in the 12th century by order of Emir Ali ibn Yusuf of Almoravid. After the Almohads, who ruled Marrakech in the second half of the 12th century, came to power, the building of the mosque was almost completely destroyed. The mosque was rebuilt during the Saadid dynasty by order of the Moroccan ruler Abdallah al-Ghalib. He also ordered to erect a school-madrasa at the temple, which is still active today.
The total area of the Ali ben Yusuf Mosque is 9.6 thousand square metres. Initially its architecture was almost the simplest of all possible variants. In the XVI and XIX centuries. was carried out extensive reconstruction of the Muslim temple, after which it has changed beyond recognition.
In the appearance of the mosque is very well traced Arabian architecture of Marrakech. Limestone, stone and cedar were used in its construction. Somewhat later, a minaret tower was added to the mosque, which is 40 metres high. 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 appreciate the beauty of the architectural structure only from the outside. For non-Muslims it is still a mystery how the interior of the mosque actually looks like.
