Which Moroccan mosque in Taza has the earliest surviving Almohad minaret, built in the 12th century?

The Great Mosque of Taza contains the earliest surviving Almohad minaret, built in the 12th century.

Taza occupies a strategic position between eastern and western Morocco, and its mosque became important during the Almohad period. The Almohads ruled much of the Maghreb and al-Andalus during the 12th and 13th centuries, developing a distinctive architectural language based on monumental proportions, strong geometric organization, and restrained decoration.

The mosque’s minaret is an important early example in the development of Moroccan minaret design. Later Moroccan towers, including the Koutoubia in Marrakesh and the Hassan Tower in Rabat, are more famous, but they belong to a later sequence of Almohad experimentation and refinement.

Taza’s monument is sometimes overshadowed by those better-known buildings. Its importance lies in chronology and architectural evidence: it helps show how the square minaret and broader Almohad mosque tradition developed before reaching their most celebrated forms elsewhere in Morocco.