Bab Agnaou: history, how to get there and visiting the Kasbah gate
Bab Agnaou is the monumental gate that once led into Marrakech's royal kasbah, south of the medina. It was completed around 1188-1190 under the Almohad caliph Yacoub el-Mansour and is the only city gate that survives from the Almohad period. You can see it in a few minutes, without a ticket, but it deserves a stop: its carved stone decoration is among the finest in the city. It is also the best way into the Kasbah district, a short walk from the Saadian Tombs and the El Badi Palace. To place the gate among the others, see the ramparts and gates of Marrakech.
Highlights
The carved façade
The central horseshoe arch is framed by interlaced multi-lobed arches inside a large rectangular border. A frieze in floriated Kufic script runs around the arch. The local sandstone, whose colour changes with the light, stands out against the ochre rammed earth of the neighbouring ramparts.
A gate for show, not for defence
Unlike the rammed-earth gates in the ramparts, Bab Agnaou was the ceremonial entrance to the royal citadel: its façade was designed above all to impress those who came to court.
The name
"Agnaou" is of Berber origin. Its exact meaning is still debated: writers have suggested "the mute ones", later the Gnawa (descendants of sub-Saharan populations), or even "a hornless sheep". No explanation is accepted by everyone, and our guide does not choose one.
Practical info
Tips
- Access is free and permanent, all year. The façade takes a few minutes to photograph, but the gate opens onto a busy street: watch for cars and scooters when you step back to frame the shot. In the neighbourhood, men may offer to guide you or "show you the way": you can politely decline, as the gate is easy to visit alone. Licensed guides wear a badge. To enter the Saadian Tombs (100 dh for a foreign adult, price seen in October 2026), head to the Kasbah mosque, a few minutes' walk away.
How to get there
South of the medina, rue de la Kasbah, right next to the Bab er-Robb gate On foot from Jemaa el-Fna square: about 15 minutes, passing the Koutoubia and then following the ramparts south By petit taxi: ask for "Bab Agnaou" or "tombeaux saadiens"
Opening hours
Nearby
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