At 1,230 meters in the High Atlas, this remote mosque marks where Ibn Tumart founded the Almohad movement that would conquer an empire stretching from Castile to Libya. Built in 1156, it is one of only two mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims. Its austere stone construction and defensive towers reflect both spiritual authority and military necessity. The decorative carved stucco, though weathered, shows the earliest examples of the interlacing geometric patterns that became the Almohad signature. Getting here requires driving a mountain road through the N'Fis Valley — the journey is part of the pilgrimage.
Sources
- Basset H. & Terrasse H. (1932) Sanctuaires et forteresses almohades
- Ewert C. (1987) The mosque of Tinmal