A palace of splendor...
Built between 1578 and 1603 by the Saadian Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour Dhahbi, the Badii Palace, meaning the palace of the incomparable, was then considered one of the most beautiful and majestic palaces in the entire Kingdom. Its 360 rooms were funded by a ransom paid by the Portuguese after the Battle of the Three Kings and were mostly impressive for the numerous treasures and refined craftsmanship featured there. The site also included a large courtyard, a central pool, stables, dungeons, and pavilions serving as summer houses. Exclusively designated for parties and solemn audiences, the sovereign saw in his palace an opportunity and means to display his wealth in front of the kingdom's elite and foreign embassies.
...which quickly declined
Unfortunately, less than 100 years later, following the fall of the Saadians and the rise of the Alaouite dynasty, the palace rapidly declined. The sultan at the time, Ismail Ibn Sharif, looted all its treasures, whether it was its decorations or its building materials to establish his new palace in the then Moroccan capital of Meknes! Goodbye gold, onyx, and marble... and the palace lost its splendor.
A second life
Today, only a large courtyard surrounded by gardens of olive and orange trees remains. However, one can still visit the ruins of this palace. Finding a second life, the Badii Palace comes alive several times a year for private or cultural events.
