Kasbah of Marrakech: Bab Agnaou, the Kasbah Mosque and its lanes

Updated on October 1, 2026

The Kasbah is the former royal district of Marrakech, founded in the late 12th century by the Almohad caliph Yaqub al-Mansur south of the medina. You enter through Bab Agnaou, the city's most famous carved stone gate. The district contains the Kasbah Mosque, the Saadian Tombs and, on its edge, the El Badi Palace and the Royal Palace, which is not open to visitors. Today it is a residential area with wider and quieter streets than the souks, easy to explore on foot and free to enter.

Highlights

Bab Agnaou

This monumental gate was completed around 1188-1190 under Yaqub al-Mansur as the main entrance to the kasbah. Its horseshoe arch is framed by polylobed arches and a frieze bearing a Quranic verse in foliated Kufic script. The stone, a local sandstone, contrasts with the ochre rammed earth of the neighbouring walls.

The Kasbah Mosque

Built between 1185 and 1190, it is also known as the Moulay el-Yazid Mosque or El Mansouria Mosque. Damaged in the 16th century by the explosion of a gunpowder store, it was restored by the Saadian sultan Moulay Abdallah al-Ghalib. The interior is reserved for Muslims, but the square beside it is open to everyone.

The minaret

Its interlaced brick decoration on a background of green ceramic served as a model for many minarets across the Maghreb. It is easy to see from the mosque square and from the entrance to the Saadian Tombs.

The lanes and Place des Ferblantiers

The derbs of the Kasbah are lined with family homes, riads turned into guesthouses and a few cafés, including Café Clock on Derb Chtouka. To the east, the exit towards the El Badi Palace leads to Place des Ferblantiers, ringed by metal lantern workshops, which marks the entrance to the Mellah.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Walking around the district is free. The Saadian Tombs, next to the mosque, cost 100 MAD for a foreign adult and 50 MAD for a foreign child aged 7 to 13; the El Badi Palace costs 100 MAD for a foreign adult (prices checked in October 2026). The queue at the Saadian Tombs grows quickly from 10:30am. Around Bab Agnaou, politely decline unofficial guides who offer to accompany you: licensed guides wear a badge.

How to get there

Entrance through Bab Agnaou, Rue de la Kasbah, south of the medina On foot from Jemaa el-Fna square: about 15 minutes, past the Koutoubia and then south along the walls By petit taxi: ask for "Bab Agnaou" or "Saadian Tombs"