The Tour Hassan, the grandiose minaret of a vast yet incomplete mosque, is Rabat's most famous landmark. Begun in 1195, the minaret was intended to be the largest in the Muslim world, soaring some 86m (260ft) into the sky. Construction was abandoned, however, upon the death of the sultan, Yacoub al-Mansour, in 1199 and the tower instead rises to just 44m (140ft). The shortfall in height does not, however, detract from the beauty of its design, with every façade displaying a different pattern. Two hundred columns mark out the area where the mosque was to stand. Today, the site also houses the Mosque and Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the grandfather of the present king of Morocco, which is one of the few sacred sites in the country that non-Muslims are allowed to enter.

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