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.

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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.

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