- Address: Ksibat Nhass, Marrakesh, Morocco
- Phone: +212 627-286740
- Website: palais-el-badi.com
- Discovery: 1593
- Destination: Palace
- Working hours: every day 8.30-11.45, 14.45-17.45.
- Entrance fee: entrance to the palace - 10 dhrams, with a visit to Minbar - 20 dhrams
The most famous palace in Marrakech is El Badi. It was built by Saadis between 1578 and 1603. The palace was built on money received from Portugal, won by the battle of the three kings. At one time the palace was called "incomparable" and was very beautiful. Marble for its construction was imported from Italy, gold from Sudan. This palace was built for the Sultan Ahmed al-Mansur, who was very fond of luxury and had the nickname "golden".
History
The palace of El-Badi in Marrakech was built for about 25 years. For this, the best builders of those times were called together. The most surprising thing is that the palace has a central heating system, which for the 16th century can be considered a miracle. At the end of the construction of the builders, each year the number of gold awarded was equal to the weight of the recipient.
Unfortunately, the palace stood no more than a hundred years. The new ruler Ismail Mavli destroyed it in order to erect his own, a new palace in Meknes. The palace of El-Badi only recently began to be restored in order to preserve the historical heritage.
What to see?
Although the palace lies in ruins, it retained its former greatness. The palace has 360 rooms, and its underground part consists of tunnels. But the most impressive part of the palace is its courtyard. Before him, the largest courtyard in Marrakech was 30 meters high. The yard of the palace of El-Badi reaches the size of 135x110 meters. Thanks to him the palace is really incomparable. Because of the huge size of the courtyard, the buildings themselves seem narrow and look more like a group of structures than as a single building.
In all Moroccan yards, a pool is traditionally located, in which rainwater is collected. In the palace in addition to a large pool, near each building there are two small pools. A large pool is surrounded by orange trees, which are buried to the water level. Most likely the owner did not want the trees to obstruct the view of the yard.
Since the middle of the 20th century, the Moroccan National Folklore Festival has become traditional. It is held in June. In the palace of El-Badi come from all over Morocco, all kinds of performers of folk songs and dances. During walks around the courtyard, the windows of the underground rooms are visible, and from the observation tower you can see the inner courtyard of El-Badi. The El Koutoubia mosque is clearly visible. This is a kind of landmark, it can be reached from any part of the city.
How to get there?
You can take a taxi from Morocco to the Al-Badi Palace. The distance between them is about 100 km.
| | |
| | |
