Foundation & The Great Dynasties

Marrakech was founded in 1062 by the Almoravids — a Berber dynasty from the Sahara that established an empire from Spain to Senegal. The Almoravid ruler Youssef ibn Tachfin made Marrakech the capital and laid out the first irrigation system (Khettaras), which made the city in the desert viable in the first place.

The Almohads (1147–1269)

The Almohads overthrew the Almoravids and made Marrakech a center of Islamic scholarship. They built the Koutoubia Mosque (whose minaret remains the city's landmark to this day), the Menara Gardens, and the Kasbah. Under Caliph Yacoub el-Mansour, Marrakech experienced its first golden age.

The Saadians (1549–1668)

The Saadian Dynasty brought a second golden age to Marrakech. Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (the Golden) financed his wealth through control of the Trans-Saharan gold trade and the invasion of the Songhai Empire. He built the El-Badi Palace (today an impressive ruin) and the Saadian Tombs — mausoleums of such splendor that even the succeeding dynasty respected them (and then walled them up for 200 years).

The Alawites (from 1668)

The Alawites — the dynasty still ruling today — moved the capital to Fès and Meknès. Marrakech lost its capital status but remained an important trading city. Sultan Moulay Hassan built the Bahia Palace in the 19th century — a masterpiece that shows Marrakech never entirely lost its splendor.