The Great Mosque of Salé was rebuilt in 1196 on the order of Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, with an Almohad architect named Al-Gharnati, whose name suggests he came from Granada. A first mosque may have been ordered by Temim Ibn Ziri around 1028 to 1030, and its roof collapsed before the rebuild. Tradition says 700 French slaves took part in the reconstruction. The article gives no specific style or materials, and says its present appearance dates to the 18th century, when the 'Alawi dynasty built the current minaret.
The mosque covers 54,600 square feet (5,070 m²) and is described as the third largest in Morocco.
In 1260 Castilian forces sacked Salé and took about 3,000 captives, who had been gathered in the mosque, to Seville. Abu al-Hasan built the adjacent madrasa in 1342, and six cannonballs damaged the mosque in the French bombardment of 1851.
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