His reign was distinguished by the flourishing of trade, architecture, philosophy and the sciences, as well as by victorious military campaigns in which he was successful in repelling the tide of the Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula.

However, further south he in 1191 recaptured a major fortress, Paderne Castle and the surrounding territory near Albufeira, in the Algarve – which had been controlled by the Portuguese army of King Sancho I since 1182.

Upon Al-Mansur's return to Africa, however, Christians in Iberian Peninsula resumed the offensive, capturing many of the Moorish cities, including Silves, Vera, and Beja.

He added a monumental gate to the Kasbah of the Udayas in Rabat and he may have been responsible for finishing the construction of the current Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh.

He also created a vast royal citadel and palace complex in Marrakesh which subsequently remained the seat of government in the city for centuries afterward.

Some of Rabat's historic gates, most notably Bab er-Rouah, also date from this time,[4][5][6] one of Al-Mansur's famous works is the Bimaristan of Marrakesh, the first hospital in Morocco to be ever built, Al-Mansur embellished it with luxurious ornaments and sculptures, it had gardens, water canals attached to it and it was Funded personally by Almohad's government, it is said that Averroes worked there for some time.