Hassan Tower & Mohammed V Mausoleum

Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum form Rabat's most significant monument complex, juxtaposing medieval ambition with modern reverence. The 44-meter unfinished minaret, begun in 1195, was intended to crown the world's largest mosque. The adjacent mausoleum, completed in 1971, houses the tombs of King Mohammed V and his sons, Kings Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.

The tower represents the unfulfilled dream of Almohad Caliph Yacoub el-Mansour, who envisioned a mosque so vast that his entire army could pray within. Had construction completed, the minaret would have reached 86 meters - surpassing even the Koutoubia. The caliph's death in 1199 halted work, and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake destroyed the unfinished prayer hall, leaving only the tower and a forest of 200 columns.

Contrasting the austere tower, the Mohammed V Mausoleum dazzles with Moroccan decorative arts at their finest. Italian marble, Carrara onyx, zellige tilework, gilded mahogany, and hand-embroidered silk create an interior of overwhelming richness. Royal guards in traditional dress stand perpetual vigil as visitors peer down from the gallery to the marble tombs below.

Together, tower and mausoleum encapsulate Morocco's historical arc: from the medieval Islamic empire's westernmost reach to the modern kingdom's foundation under Mohammed V, who led independence from France.

Yacoub el-Mansour ("The Victorious") commissioned Hassan Tower in 1195 following his triumph over Christian Spain at the Battle of Alarcos. The intended mosque would accommodate his entire army of 40,000, demonstrating his power and piety. Construction employed techniques perfected at the Koutoubia and Giralda, with the Hassan Tower planned to exceed both.

The caliph's sudden death in 1199 ended the project. Without royal patronage, workers abandoned the site, leaving the minaret at half its intended height and the prayer hall roofless. The 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon struck North Africa's Atlantic coast, toppling the mosque's walls while the sturdy tower survived.

For centuries, the ruin served as a quarry and grazing land. French colonial authorities recognized its historical significance and began preservation. After independence, Mohammed V (r. 1956-1961) expressed wishes to be buried near the tower he had admired. His mausoleum, designed by Vietnamese architect Vo Toan, combines traditional Moroccan craft with modern construction.

Mohammed V's role in Moroccan independence earned him profound reverence. Exiled by the French in 1953, he returned triumphantly in 1955, becoming father of modern Morocco. His mausoleum receives thousands of daily visitors paying respects, making it simultaneously a historical monument and active pilgrimage site.