Bahia palace morocco. How to get to the Bahia Palace? What is interesting Bahia Palace for tourists

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

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 a beautiful garden, maintaining all the seclusion of this part of the complex.

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

The magnificence of Bahia Palace

The beauty and size of the courtyard, paved with marble, is especially admired. Each white marble slab has the finest zellige borders. At the intersection of paths lined with slabs, there is an elegant fountain with a round pool. The courtyard is surrounded by a gallery around the perimeter, 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 - on the official website.

In general, there are many gardens in Marrakech, and one of the most beautiful is the Majorelle garden, which is a wonderful example of landscape gardening art.

Bahia Palace on the map of Marrakesh

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

Bahia Palace is one of the most majestic and beautiful palaces of Marrakech. The Bahia Palace or the "Palace of the Beauty" was built as a gift for his beloved wife by order of the Grand Vizier of Sultan Mohammed IV, Sidi Moussa.

History of occurrence

The construction of the palace took place in the 19th century. Construction took place in two stages. Its northern part was built between 1859 and 1876 at the behest of Sidi Moussa. The southern part of the palace was built by order of his son Ba Ahmed in 1894-1900. As the palace expanded, so did the territory that it occupied - additional lands were constantly bought up. When the construction of the palace was completed, it turned out that the Bahia Palace was more beautiful and richer than the palace of the Sultan. That is why, when Ba Ahmed died, the palace was plundered by Sultan Abd al-Aziz. However, the history of the Bahia Palace did not end there, and after 12 years, the residence of Lyoté, the ruler of the colony of Morocco, was made here.

Architecture

According to Arabic philosophy, everything personal must be hidden from the outside eye. So, from the outside the palace seems rather boring, however, from the inside it looks like a beautiful mosaic, striking in its beauty. Since the palace was built over several years, it lost its clear layout. The palace has many rooms that form a labyrinth. The layout of the palace was thought out so that the wives of Sidi Moussa did not intersect. Also, from the living rooms for official receptions, you will never get into the private quarters of the owner. In total, the palace has 150 rooms.
The architecture of Marrakesh is clearly expressed in the design of the palace. The interior of the palace is very rich. There are ceramic tiles, marble, cedar and zilijam. These materials were brought for construction from all over North Africa. The decoration is made in the form of mosaics and carvings, the columns are decorated with arabesques, and the windows are decorated with beautiful lattices made of wood. The council hall, one of the main halls of the palace, is striking in its splendor, the design of which is made of cedar wood. The doors of the hall lead to the main entrance, the floor of which is made of marble, and in the center there is a marble fountain.
Today the palace building is used not only for tours, but also for concerts and exhibitions.

Neighborhood

The entire territory of the Bahia Palace, which is 8 hectares, is decorated with beautiful gardens with orange and banana trees and marble fountains. There is also a mosque, a hammam and a stable. Near the Bahia Palace is the area of ​​Moroccan artisans, where they sell Moroccan lamps, furniture and souvenirs. This area leads to the Badia Palace.
Not far from the Bahia Palace are the following famous attractions of Marrakech: the Dar Si Said Museum of Islamic Art, the ruins of the El Badi Palace, the Bab Agmat Gate and others.

Note to the tourist

You can go to the Bahia Palace along Riad Zitoun el Jdid Street. You can visit the attraction and admire the beauties of the palace from 8:30 to 11:45 and from 14:45 to 17:45 daily. A visit will cost 10 mad. On visiting days royal family Marrakech Palace is closed to the public.

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

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

Many secrets are kept in courtyards, decorated with elegant ornaments, and hedges, and shady alleys, and splashing neat fountains.

Sidi Moussa wanted to present his beloved wife with the most magnificent and beautiful palace in the country, although later 3 more wives of the vizier and 24 of his concubines lived here. Therefore, over the seven years of its construction, the architect Al-Hajj Mohammed bin 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 general Arab philosophy about the house says that everything personal should be kept away from prying and unkind eyes, with oneself, so as not to arouse envy among others. Here is the Bahia Palace outwardly quite unremarkable, even dull, but this impression is too deceptive.

Inside it is a magic box, where the rooms are arranged according to the principle of a labyrinth, devoid of a clear layout. The interior of the palace impresses with its unsurpassed beauty: painted ceilings and doors made of cedar wood, beautiful traditional mosaics combined with stone and wood carvings - everything is admirable.

Many secrets are kept in courtyards, decorated with elegant ornaments, and hedges, and shady alleys, and splashing neat fountains. According to legend, the courtyards in the palace are located so that the concubines do not meet 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 palace of the Beauty surpassed all the palaces in Morocco in sophistication and beauty. Immediately after the death of the vizier in 1900, by order of the Sultan Abd al-Aziz, the Bahiya Palace was devastated and plundered.

How to get to Bahia Palace

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

Bahia Palace opening hours

You can plunge into the sophistication of the interiors of the palace, decorated with mosaics, see the wonderful courtyard, the garden with orange trees, the fountain can be daily 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 labyrinths of the narrow streets of the Medina, attracts tourists and, in addition to a lot of impressions, gives an idea of ​​​​the life of the richest Moroccans a couple of centuries ago.

Prices on the page are for September 2018.

Bahia Palace - one of the most luxurious palaces in the city of Marrakesh, located in the Old City, near the Mellah market. The Palace of the Beauty (as 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 attached neighboring land plots, the total area of ​​​​which, as a result, 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 Mohammed bin Makki al-Misfoui, he was also entrusted with interior design. 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 pavilions, a large courtyard "Court of Honor", paved with marble slabs and zelij 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 bowls of fountains, openwork grilles, fireplaces, sculptures. None 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 favor of the vizier to 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 from Tetouan. About a thousand of the best artisans and craftsmen from Fez worked on the construction of the palace for several years. The Bahiya Palace was literally drowning in luxury, the Sultan himself envied his wealth. In 1900, just a few hours after the death of Ba Ahmed, Sultan Abd al Aziz ordered furniture and all decorative elements to be taken out of the palace. Beauty's palace was devastated. To this day, only a small fraction of the former luxury has been preserved; the reception hall, the chambers of the first floor and the "marble" courtyard are available for visiting. But even this is enough to imagine the former splendor of the palace.