Zawiya of Sidi Bel Abbes: the shrine of Marrakech's patron saint

Updated on October 2, 2026

The Zawiya of Sidi Bel Abbes holds the tomb of Abu al-Abbas as-Sabti, known as Sidi Bel Abbes, the most venerated of the Seven Saints of Marrakech and regarded as the city's patron saint. Born in Ceuta around 1130, he came to Marrakech in 1146 and died in 1204; he preached charity and sharing with the poor, especially the blind. The complex stands in the north of the medina, just beyond Bab Taghzout: a mausoleum, mosque, madrasa, hospice and cemetery are arranged around two large courtyards. It is a working place of worship and pilgrimage, well away from the usual tourist circuits. Non-Muslims may not enter the mausoleum or the mosque. They can, however, pass through the entrance arcade and walk around the main courtyard, from where you can see the minaret, the carved portal of the mausoleum and the monumental fountain.

Highlights

The courtyard and the mausoleum portal

This paved courtyard, lined with small arched rooms, is the part of the shrine open to everyone. On its north side, a portal covered in zellige and carved stucco, topped by a wooden canopy, leads into the mausoleum; only Muslims go through it. Opposite the portal stands an ornate wall fountain, added by the Alaouite sultans.

The minaret and the green roof of the mausoleum

The tomb chamber, rebuilt by the Alaouite sultan Moulay Ismail in 1720, is crowned by a pyramid roof of green tiles that you can spot from afar above the medina's rooftops. The minaret next to it belongs to the mosque built in the early 17th century by the Saadian sultan Abu Faris, the only part of the complex that still largely dates from the Saadian period.

A living tradition of charity

Sidi Bel Abbes has been linked for centuries to helping the blind: the zawiya includes a hospice for them, and a brotherhood of blind Quran reciters is attached to it. Donations from the faithful are passed on to people in need, and beggars wait near the entrances. In Marrakech, some traders still dedicate the day's first earnings to the saint, a practice called abbassia.

The pilgrimage of the Seven Saints

In the late 17th century, Sultan Moulay Ismail asked the scholar al-Yusi to organise a pilgrimage linking the tombs of seven of the city's saints, including that of Sidi Bel Abbes. The district that grew up around the zawiya is why the city walls were extended in the 18th century, under Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah, to bring it inside the medina.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Entry to the courtyard is free (prices checked in October 2026); there is no ticket office, as this is not a museum. Wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees, keep a low profile and do not photograph worshippers or people asking for alms without their consent. A small coin given to the beggars at the entrance is in keeping with the tradition of the place. Combine the visit with a walk through the north of the medina, which sees few visitors.

How to get there

Sidi Bel Abbes district, in the north of the medina, just north of Bab Taghzout; the main entrance is reached through a covered shopping street leading from the gate On foot from Jemaa el-Fna square: about 25 minutes heading north, through the souks to Bab Taghzout By petit taxi: ask for "Bab Taghzout" or "Sidi Bel Abbes"