Lion of Ifrane

Stone lion carved in 1930 in the town park, Ifrane's most photographed landmark

In the park at the centre of Ifrane, a large stone lion crouches in a clearing. Carved from a single boulder in 1930, it has become the symbol of the town and appears on almost every postcard. The craftsmanship is considerable — the mane and musculature are finely detailed, and the lion's calm gaze gives it an unexpected dignity.

The park itself is well-maintained and worth a stroll — flower beds, plane trees, and the clean mountain air that makes Ifrane feel so different from other Moroccan cities. The lion is free to visit at any hour.

things to do sight
A story
The stone lion was carved by a German prisoner of war in 1930. At the time, the Barbary lion — the largest of all lion subspecies, significantly bigger than African lions — was not yet extinct; the last confirmed wild sighting in Morocco was in 1942. The carving now serves as an accidental memorial to a vanished animal.