Numerous Neolithic stone artifacts have been found in the Marrakesh area. Abu Bakr ibn Umar, cousin of Almoravid ruler Yusuf ibn Tashfin (1061–1106), built Marrakesh. Ibn Abi Zar and Ibn Khaldun date this occurrence to 1062 (454 AH) and Muhammad al-Idrisi to 1078 (470 AH). Some writers still cite 1062, but it’s less popular. The Almoravids, a Berber dynasty attempting to reform Islamic culture, governed an emirate from Senegal to Spain and the Atlantic coast to Algiers. They made Marrakesh their capital and built mosques and a fortified house, Ksar al-Hajjar, near the Kutubiyya Mosque. These Almoravid foundations shaped the city’s layout for centuries. The present-day Jemaa el-Fnaa started as a public space in front of the Almoravid palace gates, the Rahbat al-Ksar, and the city’s primary souks formed between this square and the city’s main mosque, where they remain today. The city became a Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa commerce hub. Andalusi craftsmen from Cordoba and Seville created and embellished many monuments in the Cordoban Umayyad style, with carved domes and cusped arches. This Andalusian influence mixed with Sahara and West African elements to create a unique Marrakesh-style building. Yusuf ibn Tashfin built buildings and brought wealth and silver in caravans. Ali Ibn Yusuf, his son and successor, built the Ben Youssef Mosque in 1120-1132. In 1126–1127, he reinforced the city with fortifications and created the khettara subterranean water system. read more