The tallest monument (225 ft) in Marrakech is the minaret of Koutoubia Mosque one of the most famous landmarks in Marrakech, the red city, with a unique architecture compared to the Giralda of Seville.
El Bahia Palace, built over a period of 14 years as a residence of the Grand Vizier of Sultan Moulay Al Hassan I. Among fountains, living quarters, pleasure gardens and numerous secluded, shady courtyards, the only quarters open to the visitors are the apartments of the favourite concubine of the Vizier, the council chamber with tiled walls and illuminated cedarwood ceiling and the great central courtyard paved with marble and decorated with zelliges and fountains.
The Saadian Tombs, a necropolis divided into three small halls where the central Hall of the Twelve Columns is one of the finest examples of Moroccan-Andalusian decorative art. It houses the tombs of Saadian Sultans, including Al-Mansour, his succesors and their closest family members.
At the base of the Atlas Mountains lie the Menara Gardens. Covering an area of 250 acres, they are full of olive trees surrounding a large central lake that dates back from the 12th century and is fed by a network of irrigation channels. At the waters edge is a small Saadian pavilion. With the snow-covered peaks behind it, this is a breathtaking sight in the evening when it catches the golden rays of the setting sun.