Sept 10 (Reuters) - Morocco's deadly earthquake badly damaged one of the most important historical sites in the High Atlas mountains, an earth-and-stone mosque built by a medieval dynasty that conquered North Africa and Spain. Moroccan media reported that parts of the Tinmel Mosque had collapsed. Photographs circulating online, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed tumbled walls, a half-fallen tower and large piles of debris. At least 2,000 people have died in the 6.8-magnitude quake, the most destructive in the area since at least 1900. The quake also caused damage to the old city of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where a minaret toppled over and parts of the historic city walls collapsed along with some traditional houses.

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Persons: Zakia Abdennebi, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Dominique Vidalon, Angus McDowall, Frances Kerry Organizations: Reuters, Moroccan Culture Ministry, United Nations, UNESCO, High, Thomson Locations: North Africa, Spain, Moroccan, Tinmel, Marrakech, Rabat, Paris