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Bahia Palace. Bahia Palace With royal luxury

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In the rich and mysterious East, in northern Africa, in hospitable and mysterious Morocco, there is one of its main pearls - ancient Marrakech. Huge palaces, beautiful mosques, cool oases, oriental sweets, Scheherazade's tales - all this is Marrakesh, the third largest city in the country.

One of the main and most beautiful attractions of Marrakech, located in the Medina, is the fairly young (1880) Bahia Palace (Palais de la Bahia), or, translated, “Palace of the Beauty”. It was built for one of the four wives of the harem by Bu Ahmed Sidi Moussa, the grand vizier of the rulers Moulay Hassan and Moulay Abd al-Aziz. The Moorish-style palace is well preserved and covers an area of eight hectares.

The courtyards, decorated with elegant ornaments, hedges, shady alleys, and splashing neat fountains keep many secrets.

Sidi Moussa wanted to present his beloved wife with the most magnificent and beautiful palace in the country, although subsequently 3 more wives of the vizier and 24 of his concubines lived here. Therefore, during the seven years of its construction, the architect Al-Haj Mohamed ben Makki al-Misfui completed and rebuilt the palace more than once due to the fact that the Grand Vizier was constantly buying new neighboring plots. Materials (tiles, marble and others) were brought from all over the state.

The common Arabic philosophy about home says that everything personal should be kept away from prying and unkind eyes, and to yourself, so as not to arouse the envy of others. So the Bahia Palace is completely unremarkable in appearance, even dull, but this impression is too deceptive.

Inside it is a magic box, where the rooms are arranged like a labyrinth without a clear layout. The interior of the palace is stunning in its unsurpassed quality: decorated ceilings and cedar wood doors, beautiful traditional mosaics are combined with stone and wood carvings - everything is admirable.

The courtyards, decorated with elegant ornaments, hedges, shady alleys, and splashing neat fountains keep many secrets. According to legend, the courtyards in the palace are located so that concubines do not meet each other while walking around the house. So it was a difficult task for the architect. Unfortunately, the luxurious furnishings of the Bahia Palace have not reached us.

The palace was built by almost a thousand workers from Fez. And when the construction was completed, the Sultan himself began to envy the vizier, since the Beauty’s palace surpassed all the palaces in Morocco in sophistication and beauty. Immediately after the death of the vizier in 1900, by order of Sultan Abd al-Aziz, the Bahia Palace was destroyed and plundered.

How to get to Bahia Palace

There is a market on Riad Zitoun El Jdid jewelry. Directly opposite it is the Bahia Palace.

Opening hours of Bahia Palace

You can plunge into the sophistication of the palace interiors, decorated with mosaics, see the wonderful courtyard, a garden with orange trees, and a fountain every day from 8:00 to 11:45 and from 14:30 to 16:30 for only 11 MAD.

Today, unfortunately, not all parts of the palace (more than 150 rooms) are open to guests - only the first floor. But this wonderful place, lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets of the Medina, attracts tourists and gives, in addition to a lot of impressions, an idea of the life of the richest Moroccans a couple of centuries ago.

Prices on the page are as of September 2018.

Bahia Palace is one of the most luxurious palaces in the city of Marrakech, located in the Old Town, near the Mellah market. The Palace of the Beauty (this is how the name of the palace is translated) was built by order of Ahmed Ben Moussa, the grand vizier and regent under the young Sultan Abd al Aziz, for his wives and concubines. The work was carried out from 1859 to 1900, in several stages. The plan of the palace changed several times, as the Grand Vizier constantly annexed the neighboring land plots, the total area of which ultimately amounted to 8 hectares. Most of the chambers were completed separately, as a result of which the palace began to resemble a huge labyrinth, consisting of living quarters, courtyards with galleries, gardens, pavilions and outbuildings. The palace was built in the Arab-Andalusian style, the author of the project is the architect Mohamed bin Makki al-Misfui, who was also entrusted with the design of the interiors. The inconspicuous walls surrounding the palace hid from prying eyes the wealth and splendor of one of the most beautiful palaces in Morocco - citrus, jasmine and cypress gardens with fountains and openwork gazebos, a large courtyard "Court of Honor", paved with marble slabs and zelige tiles, arched galleries , secluded courtyards, carved columns, facades with exquisite ornaments and stucco. The interior of the palace premises was even more magnificent - painted cedar ceilings, carved doors, mosaic panels, onyx fountain bowls, openwork grilles, fireplaces, sculptures. Not one of the 160 rooms of the palace was like another; the size of the chambers and the splendor of the decor directly depended on the vizier’s favor towards one or another concubine. To decorate the palace, marble was delivered from Meknes (in turn, it was brought to Meknes from Italy), cedar was brought from the Atlas mountain region, and tiles were brought from Tetouan. About a thousand of the best artisans and craftsmen from Fez worked on the construction of the palace for several years. The Bahia Palace was literally drowning in luxury; the Sultan himself was jealous of its wealth. In 1900, just a few hours after the death of Ba Ahmed, Sultan Abd al Aziz ordered the removal of furniture and all decorative elements from the palace. Beauty's palace was devastated. Only a small fraction of the former luxury has survived to this day; the reception hall, first floor chambers and the “marble” courtyard are available for visiting. But this is enough to imagine the former splendor of the palace.

Address: 5 Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
Telephone: +212 5243-89511
Official website: palais-bahia.com
Architect: Al-Hajj Mohamed ben Makki al-Misfui
Construction: 1859-1900
Opening hours: from 8.00 to 16.30, Friday - closed

- a country of oriental exoticism, sandy beaches and traditional green tea. And, although the bulk of tourists come here for the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, it cannot be said that the country is poor in attractions. The Bahia Palace is one of the pearls of Morocco.

What is the Bahia Palace interesting for tourists?

Arabic philosophy states that everything personal should be kept away from prying eyes. Therefore, the Bahia Palace appears before us in the form of a kind of box - from the outside it looks quite simple, but its interior is simply amazing in its luxury. Translated, its name means “Palace of the Beauty”.

The building itself cannot be called old. Its construction began in 1880 and was eventually divided into two stages. In addition, in the future the palace was constantly being completed. These luxurious mansions were intended for the four wives of the vizier Sultan Si Moussa and his 24 concubines. And since the vizier constantly increased his territories and his harem, the palace grew with them. A tourist who finds himself here may feel as if he is in some kind of labyrinth of corridors and rooms. Surprisingly, this impression is not deceptive. The palace was specially designed to confuse the owner’s wives, and none of them could trace which concubine the vizier was heading to that night.

The Bahia Palace in Marrakech is a typical representative of the Arab-Andalusian style of architecture. Total area The land it occupies reaches eight hectares! Once upon a time, the Bahia Palace surpassed the Sultan's in its luxury, but today only crumbs of its former greatness remain. Today we can see the interior decoration of the rooms. There are a lot of mosaics, elegant stucco, wood and stone carvings. By the way, there were carved ceilings in the bedrooms of each of the vizier’s four wives, since the husband was obliged to love and care for each of the spouses equally. The roof of the palace is covered with green tiles.

There are a lot of houses in Morocco with courtyards - patios. They were created for the purpose of privacy and separation of personal space from the crowd and neighbors. In the Bahia Palace, a simply huge area, paved with tiles, with a green garden and small fountains, is reserved for the patio. There is even a small swimming pool in the center. The entire perimeter of the courtyard is surrounded by a gallery in order to hide the interior from prying eyes.

How to visit?

Today, only the first floor and the courtyard are open to tourists. But even despite this factor, the Bahia Palace is extremely popular among vacationers. After all, by closing your eyes and abstracting yourself from external noise, you can imagine yourself as a formidable vizier or the most beloved of his wives.

Finding the Bahia Palace is quite easy. You need to focus on the jewelry market on Riad Zitoun el Jdid, and the palace is located directly opposite it.

Perhaps the Bahia Palace can be called a real masterpiece of Moroccan architecture. Such a magnificent structure was erected for two officials who served under the rulers Si Moussa and Bakhmad in the 19th century. Like many examples of the Arab-Andalusian style, Bahia has a magnificent garden, a charming patio, a large number of chambers, decorated with elegant stucco and wooden ceilings with inlay.

With royal luxury

The older half of the palace consists of a garden with fountains, oranges, cypresses and banana trees. Two exquisitely decorated rooms, covered with ceramic tiles, surround the beautiful garden, maintaining all the privacy of this part of the complex.

The new part was built under Sultan Abd al-Aziz for the 4 wives and 24 concubines of the vizier Ahmed Ben Moussa. The creation was created by the famous architect Muhammad bin Al-Makki al-Misfiwi, whose hand can be seen in the finishing of materials brought from all over North Africa.

The splendor of the Bahia Palace

The beauty and size of the courtyard, paved with marble, is especially admirable. Each white marble slab has the finest zellige borders. At the intersection of the flagstone paths, there is an elegant fountain with a round pool. The entire perimeter of the courtyard is surrounded by a gallery, the roof of which is covered with green tiles.

Address: Avenue Imam El Ghazali, Marrakesh.

Opening hours: daily from 09:00 to 17:00.

Ticket price: 7 €.

*Up-to-date information for visitors to the Bahia Palace is on the official website.

There are generally many gardens in Marrakesh, and one of the most beautiful is the Majorelle Garden, which is an excellent example of landscape gardening art.

Compared to truly ancient castles, the Bahia Palace is quite young - it was founded in the second half of the 19th century. Interestingly, the exact date of construction remains unknown. The first phase of construction is believed to have been completed around 1867, and the second from 1894 to 1900.

The first owner of the palace complex was Si Moussa, the chief vizier of Hassan I. During his life, he managed to rise from the position of a slave to the position of the Sultan’s right hand. The enormous wealth of the vizier is evidenced by the fact that the palace was built in Medina, the central part.

Afterwards, the palace complex passed to his son Ba Ahmed, who also became a vizier. He bought new plots and expanded the building, dedicating it to one of his wives. Under the new owner, the palace received its name, which translated means “beauty, luxury, splendor.”

Excursions

You can visit the palace complex on your own or with a guide. In addition, it is included in the program of many excursion tours around Marrakech, and by contacting a travel agency, you can combine a visit to it with visiting other attractions.

Bahia Palace on the map

The Bahia Palace looks very modest from the outside, and this is not without reason - the vizier did not want to arouse the envy of those around him with the ostentatious splendor of his possessions.
In the mid-20th century, the famous Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of the American president, visited the Moroccan palace.
During construction, the design of the palace complex had to be constantly changed, since the vizier bought more and more new plots and asked to expand the building.

Virtual tour

Quirky and full oriental flavor The Bahia Palace will be an interesting part of a walk around Marrakech. Its inspection takes on average about 1.5 hours, and after that you can go to the nearby Dar Si Said Museum of Moroccan Art or the Tiskiwin Museum of Berber Life, go to the ruins of the El Badi fortress or to the famous Royal Palace. There is always something to do in this part of Marrakech!