Can you walk through Bab Mansour?

The great central gateway is opened only on special occasions, so it is mainly admired from the outside. A side entrance is used for everyday passage, and the interior sometimes hosts local art exhibitions.

Why is Bab Mansour famous?

Bab Mansour is considered one of the most beautiful monumental gates in Morocco and North Africa, prized for its lavish zellij tilework, carved Koranic inscriptions and reused Roman marble columns. It is the signature landmark of imperial Meknes.

Bab Mansour

MeknesMonumental imperial gate on Place El Hedim, completed 1732

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Completed 1732 under Moulay Abdallah
Named after architect Mansour el-Aleuj
Ceremonial gate to Moulay Ismail's kasbah

Bab Mansour is the grand ceremonial gateway to the imperial kasbah of Sultan Moulay Ismail in Meknes, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful monumental gates in North Africa. Begun late in Moulay Ismail's reign, it was completed in 1732 by his son Moulay Abdallah and named after its architect, Mansour el-Aleuj, a Christian convert to Islam. Its façade is faced with green and white zellij tilework and carved Koranic inscriptions, framed by marble columns reused from the Roman ruins of Volubilis. It stands on the south side of Place El Hedim and has been part of Meknes's UNESCO World Heritage listing since 1996.

Location

Meknes

FAQs

Bab Mansour was begun late in the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail and completed in 1732 by his son Moulay Abdallah, five years after Moulay Ismail's death. It served as the ceremonial gateway to the imperial kasbah of Meknes.