El Badi Palace

El Badi Palace, meaning "The Incomparable," was once one of the most magnificent palaces in the world, built between 1578 and 1593 by the Saadian Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur to celebrate his victory over the Portuguese at the Battle of the Three Kings. The sultan spared no expense, importing Italian marble, Irish granite, Indian onyx, and gold leaf from Timbuktu to create a palace that contemporary accounts described as rivaling the wonders of the ancient world.

Today, the palace is a vast, evocative ruin. The treasures and decorations were systematically stripped by the Alaouite Sultan Moulay Ismail in the late 17th century, who spent over a decade dismantling the palace to furnish his own capital in Meknes. What remains is a monumental shell: massive walls of rammed earth surrounding an enormous sunken courtyard with a central reflecting pool, flanked by symmetrical sunken gardens planted with orange trees and surrounded by the hollow shells of once-lavish pavilions.

The scale and symmetry of El Badi Palace are still deeply impressive. The main courtyard alone measures 135 by 110 meters, and the walls rise to imposing heights that hint at the original grandeur. Underground chambers and passageways, accessible to visitors, contain a collection of carved marble elements and the original minbar (pulpit) from the nearby Koutoubia Mosque, an extraordinary work of 12th-century Andalusian craftsmanship in carved cedar and ivory inlay.

Climbing to the top of the palace walls rewards visitors with sweeping views over the rooftops of Marrakech, with the snow-capped Atlas Mountains forming a dramatic backdrop. In June, the palace ruins serve as an atmospheric venue for the Marrakech International Film Festival and other cultural events. Storks nest atop the crumbling walls, adding a picturesque natural element to the already photogenic ruins.