Country

Castles in Morocco

42 landmarks in the Castle Map atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 34 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in Morocco is Aït Benhaddou, ranked #21 of 9,079 in the world — followed by Kasbah of the Udayas and Bahia Palace.

The Castle Map atlas charts 6 castles, 21 fortresses, 12 palaces & châteaux and 3 ruins in Morocco. They span more than 10 centuries — from Tazouda Castle (founded c. 850) to Kelaat Arbaa Taourirt (1945). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Morocco.

How many castles are there in Morocco?

Map of castles in Morocco

On the map they cluster thickest around Tiflet — 7 within a 100 km day trip. The northernmost is Dar el Makhzen (Tangier), the southernmost Casa del Mar — about 1,100 km apart.

Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Tiflet.

See them on the map →

When they were built

Of the 42 landmarks mapped in Morocco, 34 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 19th century — 8 of them. 7 predate 1500 and 14 were built after 1700.

All 42 castles in Morocco

Aït Benhaddou
Palace & château · 11th century · #21 worldwide · #1 in Morocco
Aït Benhaddou is a historic ighrem or ksar along the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh in Morocco.
Kasbah of the Udayas
Fortress · 12th century · #2 in Morocco
The Kasbah of the Udayas, also spelled Kasbah of the Oudaias or of the Oudayas, is a kasbah in Rabat, Morocco.
Bahia Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #3 in Morocco
The Bahia Palace is a mid to late 19th-century palace in Marrakesh, Morocco. The palace was first begun by Si Musa, grand vizier under the Alawi…
El Badi Palace
Ruin · 16th century · #4 in Morocco
El Badi Palace or Badi' Palace is a ruined palace in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty a…
Dar al-Makhzen
Palace & château · 19th century · #5 in Morocco
The Royal Palace or Dar al-Makhzen is the primary and official residence of the king of Morocco in Rabat.
Dar al-Makhzen Fez
Palace & château · 13th century · #6 in Morocco
The Royal Palace or Dar al-Makhzen is the palace of the King of Morocco in the city of Fez, Morocco.
Kasbah of Agadir
Fortress · 16th century · #7 in Morocco
The Kasbah of Agadir Oufla is a historical landmark in Agadir, Morocco, that housed the old city of Agadir, much of which was affected by the…
Mazagan
Castle · 16th century · #8 in Morocco
Mazagan is the former name of the present-day town of El Jadida, a fortified city built by the Portuguese at the beginning of the 16th century on the…
Ksar of Taourirt
Fortress · 17th century · #9 in Morocco
Kasbah Taourirt is a historic fortified residence complex or kasbah in Ouarzazate, Morocco.
Telouet Kasbah
Fortress · 19th century · #10 in Morocco
Telouet Kasbah is a kasbah in the north of Ouarzazate Province in Morocco. It is located along the former route of the caravans from the Sahara over…
Dar Batha
Palace & château · 19th century · #11 in Morocco
Dar Batḥa, or Qasr al-Batḥa, is a former royal palace and present-day museum in Fez, Morocco.
Dar el Bacha
Palace & château · 20th century · #12 in Morocco
Dar el Bacha is a palace situated in the old medina of Marrakesh, Morocco. It currently houses the Museum of Confluences.
Dar el Makhzen (Tangier)
Palace & château · 18th century · #13 in Morocco
The Kasbah Palace, also known as Dar al-Makhzen, Sultan's Palace or Governor's Palace and formerly as the Sharifian Palace, is a historical building…
La Mamora
Castle · 17th century · #14 in Morocco
La Mamora or San Felipe de La Mamora, La Mámora or San Miguel de Ultramar is the name given in Spain in the 17th century to the present-day Moroccan…
Dar Si Said Museum
Palace & château · 19th century · #15 in Morocco
Dar Si Said is a historic late 19th-century palace and present-day museum in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Dar Jamaï palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #16 in Morocco
The Dar Jamai Museum is a museum in Meknes, Morocco. It displays a number of artifacts and art objects from the city and other regions in Morocco.
Kasbah Boulaouane
Fortress · 18th century · #17 in Morocco
Kasbah Boulaouane is a kasbah in the town of Boulaouane, Morocco. It is situated on the rock which sits at the curve of Oum Er-Rbia River,…
Ksar of Tizourgane
Fortress · #18 in Morocco
Tizourgane is a fortified Souss douar, or village, on a mountaintop in the Anti-Atlas, some 100 kilometres from the city of Agadir in the direction…
Kasbah of Mehdia
Fortress · 10th century · #19 in Morocco
Kasbah Mahdiyya, or Kasbah of Kenitra, is a kasbah located in Kenitra, Morocco.
Borj Nord
Fortress · 16th century · #20 in Morocco
Borj Nord or Burj al-Shamal, Al-Burj ash-Shamali is a fort in the city of Fez, Morocco.
Tamnougalt
Fortress · #21 in Morocco
Tamnougalt is a kasbah and date palm oasis in the Atlas Mountains, and located in the Draa River valley in Morocco, some 75 kilometers south of…
Castelo Real
Ruin · 16th century · #22 in Morocco
Castelo Real is a Portuguese castle established in Mogador, now Essaouira in Morocco, by the Portuguese in 1506.
Kasbah of Cherarda
Fortress · 17th century · #23 in Morocco
Kasbah Cherarda is a kasbah in the city of Fez, Morocco, located on the northern outskirts of Fes el-Jdid.
Kasbah Amridil
Fortress · 17th century · #24 in Morocco
Kasbah Amridil is a historic fortified residence or kasbah in the oasis of Skoura, in Morocco.
El-Jamai Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #25 in Morocco
The Jamai Palace, also known as the Dar Jama'i or the Palais Jamaï, is a historic late 19th-century mansion near Bab Guissa in Fes el-Bali in Fes,…
Kasbah An-Nouar
Fortress · 12th century · #26 in Morocco
The Kasbah An-Nouar or Kasbah Filali is a walled district and former military enclosure in the old medina of Fez, Morocco.
Royal Palace of Tétouan
Palace & château · #27 in Morocco
The Royal Palace of Tétouan is a palace of the Moroccan Monarchy in Tétouan, Morocco, and the former main seat of political authority of the Spanish…
Casa del Mar
Fortress · 19th century · #28 in Morocco
Casamar, also known as Port Victoria and Mackenzie's factory, was a historical coastal fort built in 1882 in Cape Juby near the city of Tarfaya in…
Borj Sud (Fez)
Fortress · 16th century · #29 in Morocco
Borj Sud is a fort in the city of Fez, Morocco. It was first established around 1582 by the Saadian dynasty, likely modeled after Portuguese forts of…
Kasbah of Chefchaouen
Fortress · 15th century · #30 in Morocco
The Kasbah of Chefchaouen is a historic kasbah in the Moroccan city of Chefchaouen, whose construction dates back to the 15th century AD; it is a…
Sea Castle
Castle · 16th century · #31 in Morocco
The Sea Castle of Safi is a 16th-century fortification in Safi, Morocco. It was built by the Portuguese Empire beginning in 1515, and it is a…
Ksar of Akka
Castle · #32 in Morocco
The Ksar of Akka is a ksar in Morocco, located in the Akka area. This ksar was built using rammed earth, with clay used in its construction.
Kasbah of Tifoultoute
Fortress · #33 in Morocco
The Kasbah of Tifoultoute is a kasbah in Ouarzazate Province, Morocco located 8 kilometres west of the city of Ouarzazate.
Sqala of Kasbah
Fortress · 18th century · #34 in Morocco
The Sqala of Kasbah, also called the sqala of the Town or sqala of the Medina, is an artillery platform dating from the 18th century and one of the…
Kasbah of Beni Mellal
Fortress · 17th century · #35 in Morocco
Kasbah of Beni Mellal is a kasbah in Beni Mellal, Morocco. It is a classified monument by the Moroccan Ministry of Culture.
Ksar of Lamaarka
Fortress · #36 in Morocco
Ksar Lamaarka is a ksar in Morocco, located in the Er Rteb area, at an altitude of about 892 metres above sea level.
Kasbah of Gnaouas
Fortress · 18th century · #37 in Morocco
Kasbah Gnawa, also referred to as: Kasbah of Gnaouas or Ismailian Kasbah is a kasbah located in the city of Salé in Morocco, and is the only one on…
Ksar of Rgabi N'Ait Hassou
Palace & château · #38 in Morocco
Rgabi Ait Hassou is a small town in southern Morocco's Sahara Desert, about 450 km south of Marrakesh, inhabited by the Berber people who speak…
Borj Belkari
Fortress · 17th century · #39 in Morocco
Borj Belkari is a bastion tower built in the 17th century as a part of the defensive walls of the Kasbah of Sultan Moulay Ismail in Meknes, Morocco.
Tazouda Castle
Ruin · 9th century · #40 in Morocco
Tazouda or Tazuda is a ruined castle near Nador, Morocco. It is located on Mount Gurugu in the eastern Rif Mountains at an elevation of approximately…
Castle Souira Qedima
Castle · #41 in Morocco
Castle Souira Qedima, also known as Castelo Mascarenhas, Castelo Pena, Kasbah Lajar or Castle of the Stones, stood in the village of Aguz, 35 km…
Kelaat Arbaa Taourirt
Castle · 20th century · #42 in Morocco
Kelaat Arbaa Taourirt, also known as Fousina, is a castle located 400 metres above sea level near the Nekor river in the province of Al Hoceima,…

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are in Morocco?

The Castle Map atlas maps 42 landmarks (6 castles · 21 fortresses · 12 palaces & châteaux · 3 ruins) in Morocco — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks from Wikidata, not a count of every fortification ever built.

What is the most famous castle in Morocco?

Aït Benhaddou, ranked #21 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking, founded in the 11th century.

What is the oldest castle in Morocco?

The oldest dated landmark in the atlas in Morocco is Tazouda Castle, founded c. 850. Earlier structures may have existed — this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

Where are most of the castles in Morocco?

They cluster thickest around Tiflet — 7 of the atlas's landmarks within 100 km.

Which castles in Morocco are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

Per Wikidata, 9 of the mapped landmarks hold a UNESCO World Heritage designation — inscribed in their own right or as part of an inscribed ensemble: Aït Benhaddou, Bahia Palace, El Badi Palace, Dar al-Makhzen Fez, Mazagan, Dar Batha, Dar Si Said Museum, Dar Jamaï palace, Sqala of Kasbah.