From the "Square of the Dead" DJemaa El-Fna Square, one can already see the city's landmark, the minaret of the venerable Koutoubia Mosque. It was named after the souk el koutoubiyyin, the bazaar of the book-traders, which is nearby. It might well be noted that this market originated in the 12th century, a long period during which a Christian European would have been hard-pressed to write the word book. The hall-type mosque has 17 aisles and 112 columns covering a total floor area of 5400 sq.m (58,000 sq. ft) and is thus among the largest of its kind - 25,000 faithful can say their prayers within it. At the end of the prayer hall is an ornately carved minbar (pulpit), which is supposed to be a remnant of the Almoravid mosque destroyed by the Almohad builders of the present edifice. The pulpit is said to have come from Cordoba; its donor is believed to have been the Almoravid sultan Ali ben Youssef (1107-1143).

The square minaret, which wasn't completed until the reign of Yacoub el Mansour (1184-1199), was the direct model for the Giralda in Sevilla and the Hassan Tower in Rabat. It is considered the ultimate structure of its kind. The tower is 69 m (221 ft) in height, its lateral length 12,8 m (41 ft). Six rooms one above the other, constitute the interior; leading around them is a ramp, by way of which the muezzin could ride up to the balcony. The tower is adorned with four copper globes. According to legend, they were originally made of pure gold, and there were once supposed to have been only three. The fourth was donated by the wife of Yacoub el Mansour as compensation for her failure to keep the fast for one day during the month of Ramadan. She had her golden jewelry melted down, to fashion the fourth globe.

What is a mosque? A mosque is the place of worship in the religion of Islam. It is essentially a prayer hall, where people come to pray at five appointed times during the day: just before dawn, miDDay, afternoon, before sunset, and night. Prayer is an obligation of every Muslim, but as in any religion, some moments of prayer are more important than others and some people are more observant than others. The most important prayer is that of Friday noon, for which many if not most people will go to the mosque for prayer services which include a sermon by a religious authority. Most of the space of a mosque is simply an open prayer hall, with a niche in the wall (mihrab) indicating the direction of prayer, which is facing Mecca, 2500 miles away near the Red Sea coast in Arabia. A stepped platform for the preacher will also be found in the front of the prayer hall, which is covered with mats and rugs. Mecca's importance lies in the fact that it was the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed in 570 A.D., was the early capital of Islam, and remains the central focus of the religion.  

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