This morning we left Essaouira and drove three hours to Marrakech. We got to Hotel Gomassine and checked in, then went to a restaurant down the street for lunch. After lunch, we headed with our group to several places in Marrakech, stopping midway at Bahia Palace, a palace and gardens in Marrakech’s medina.
The oldest part of the palace, Dar Si Moussa, was built between 1859-1873 by Si Moussa, a former slave who became Grand Vizier of the Sultan.
The palace was completed at the end of the century by his son, Si Moussa Ba Ahmed, when he became the wealthy Vizier to the Sultan. He added the lush gardens and decorated each room in elegant Moroccan style. The ornate palace was given to his favorite concubine, Bahia, which means “brilliance” in Arabic.

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace
The palace is lavishly decorated with woodcarvings, geometric paintings, and stucco work throughout the ceilings.

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace
The materials used in Bahia Palace came from across north Africa. The marble was brought from Meknes, and possibly originally from Italy. Perhaps it may have been brought from the ancient Volubilis and the nearby Badi Palace, which was built in the 16th century during the rise of the Saadians, when Marrakech became the capital. That palace was built by the most well-known of the Saadian rulers, Ahmad al-Mansour.
The cedar likely came from the Middle Atlas and the glazed terra-cotta tiles from Tetouan.

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace

Bahia Palace
Bahia Palace is still used by the government, and the Minister of Culture Affairs occupies a small section. Some scenes from the 1956 film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, were filmed in the palace.
After visiting the palace, we walked through a small part of Marrakech’s medina.
*Saturday, April 20, 2019*
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On Sundays, I post about hikes or walks that I have taken in my travels; I may also post on other unrelated subjects. I will use these posts to participate in Jo’s Monday Walks or any other challenges that catch my fancy.
This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: Capelinha and the Lanes.
Those ceilings are so beautiful.
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I loved them! Thanks, Carol. 🙂
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It’s just one fabulous pattern after another, isn’t it? You had a field day with the camera. I can imagine it being hard to leave. 🙂 🙂 Many thanks for linking, Cathy. Hope you’re feeling a bit better this week.
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Thanks, Jo. It really was a beautiful palace, not quite as nice as the Alhambra, but similar in many ways. I’m still feeling the same, and am disappointed the antibiotics prescribed don’t seem to be making a difference, meaning it must not be a bacterial infection. That’s disappointing. 😦
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It can’t be anything serious or it would have progressed by now, but it’s miserable feeling below par all the time. 🙄💕
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Exactly. If I had the virus, I’m sure Mike would have gotten it by now, or it would have gotten worse. But I am tired of being sick for going on 8 weeks now. It really hampers my outlook! 🙂
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😒💕
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Beautiful palace!
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Thanks, Anabel. I loved it. 🙂
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From former slave to vizier (the word I understand our word wizard comes from). Such a life that must have been. And, once wealthy and secure, to build a palace honoring Muslim architectural principles. Fascinating. You share information clearly, which not many can do. And the photographs bring out the color and the glory of a special place. Such fine work, Cathy!
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Thanks so much, Christopher. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It is a beautiful palace, and reminds me in some ways of Granada’s Alhambra. 🙂
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[…] Morocco: Essaouira to Marrakech’s Bahia Palace […]
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[…] Morocco: Essaouira to Marrakech’s Bahia Palace […]
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Love the tiled courtyard. Thinking ahead about visiting Morocco again one day.
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Thank you so much, Tina. I hope we can all visit the places that beckon to us one day, sooner rather than later. Keep dreaming of Morocco. 🙂
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Stunning patterns everywhere, I love the brightly coloured ones in the last set of shots 🙂
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Thank you so much, Eunice. I loved all the exquisite patterns too. 🙂
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Wow! What to look at first! Such colours and such patterns. It is a fabulous palace.
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It was amazing, and reminded me a bit of the Alhambra in Granada. Thanks, Jude. 🙂
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I don’t remember the Alhambra being so colourful. But a wonderful palace .
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I don’t think the Alhambra was as colorful, except for the gardens, but many of the details were similar. 🙂
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