The construction of Bahia Palace was commissioned by Ahmed Ben Moussa, an influential, skillful and powerful man. Ahmed was the Vizier (the highest post after the monarch) of Sultan Abdelaziz, at the end of the 19th century.
 |
| credits : Pixabay |
From a former residence, which was owned by his father, and appropriating a set of adjacent houses, the vizier commissioned the design and construction work of his palace to the Moroccan architect Muhammad al-Mekki. The works went on for 6 years, from 1894 to 1900, during which the best craftsmen and workers from all over the country worked without interruption.
The palace has 160 rooms, arranged on one floor and at the same level; Vizir had mobility problems due to his obesity. Having emerged from the meeting of various buildings, the palace complex resulted in a succession, which may seem disorderly, of small courtyards, gardens, halls and rooms where it is not difficult to get lost without a guide. The common denominator is an exquisite decoration, typical of Moroccan architecture, which reaches its highest points in the rooms where the vizier received official visits. Around the palace, the 8 hectares of park are a real haven in the middle of the medina
It is said that Ahmed Ben Moussa dedicated this magnificent palace especially to his favourite among the 4 wives and 24 concubines that made up his Hareem; In fact, Bahia Palace means palace of the beautiful or the brilliant.
You can visit only one-third of the palace; the rest is the private property of the royal family. Undoubtedly, what most impresses the palace of the Bahia is the large patio, called Court of honour. It consists of a huge esplanade of 50 by 30 meters, covered with marble and zellijes (geometric mosaics typical of Morocco), completely surrounded by a gallery supported by slender columns of pickled wood. The numerous rooms facing this courtyard were occupied by the concubines of the vizier and his children. Also to this great patio, it gave the imposing Hall of Honor of 20 by 8 meters, the largest and most sumptuous of the palace, used in official receptions and whose painted ceiling stands out for its beauty.
 |
| credit : Pixabay |
You can also visit small interior patios that give way to rooms where Moussa received the rulers and ambassadors, such as the Board Room, where the painted ceiling stands out, or others that were his private apartments. Later, in these rooms were installed the offices of Marshal Lyautey, at the time of the French protectorate in Morocco.
The vizier Ahmed Ben Moussa was an influential man, envied and feared for his cruelty, to the point where the same sultan, when Moussa died in the year 1900, ordered to plunder the palace of the Bahia and move the belongings to his own palace.
Address: Calle de la Bahia almost Zitoun el-Jedid - Medina of Marrakech
Visiting hours: Open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission price: 10 Dirhams (1 Euro = dirhams.)
