THE MOHAMMED V MAUSOLEUM

The Mohammed V Mausoleum, all in white marble, is one of the most beautiful monuments of the Moroccan capital. Designed by an architect of Vietnamese origin, Vo Toan, and built between 1961 and 1969, it is of a pure Arab-Andalusian classical style. On the outside, the Mausoleum is built of white Italian marble and covered with a pyramid-shaped roof of green tiles.

These tiles are the symbol of Alawite royalty and have covered many official buildings over the past five centuries, notably in Meknes, capital of the Kingdom under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672-1727).

Inside, the walls are finely chiselled with Koranic calligraphy and covered with coloured mosaics ("zellige").

The dome made of Atlas cedar and painted mahogany is particularly remarkable. On the floor below is the sarcophagus containing the remains of Mohammed V, who died in 1961.

In the corners are also the tombs of Moulay Abdallah, the youngest son of Mohammed V, who died in 1983, and Hassan II, King of Morocco from 1961 to 1999. Theologians follow one another night and day to read the Koran. Moroccans regularly come to visit the tombs.

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