This small, unassuming domed ablutions pavilion in the heart of the Marrakech medina is the sole surviving structure from the Almoravid dynasty — the founders of Marrakech. Built around 1117 CE under Ali ibn Youssef, its sophisticated dome construction and carved plaster decoration established the decorative vocabulary that every subsequent Moroccan dynasty would elaborate. Buried and forgotten for centuries, it was rediscovered in 1948 during excavations near the Ben Youssef Mosque. Its chevron, palmette, and pine cone motifs are the DNA of Moroccan architecture.
Sources
- Meunié J. et al. (1957) Nouvelles recherches archéologiques à Marrakech
- Deverdun G. (1959) Marrakech