Abd al-Mu'min began the first mosque in 1147, the year he conquered Marrakesh, and completion is estimated around 1157. A second mosque was built adjoining the qibla side of the first, with traditional dating from May 1158 and Friday prayers in September 1158. The style is Almohad.
The minaret is 253 feet (77 m) high to the top of the finial. Its main shaft is 183 feet (55.68 m) tall on a square base 42 feet (12.81 m) per side. Attribution is uncertain: Abd al-Mu'min, or Ya'qub al-Mansur, who may have added the lantern tower in 1195. The footprint is about 300 feet (90 m) wide.
The hypostyle prayer hall has more than 100 pillars supporting horseshoe arches, dividing it into 17 naves. The pillars and arches are brick plastered white. The minbar was made in Cordoba and moved to El Badi Palace in 1962. The mosque is still active, and non-Muslims are not allowed inside.
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