23/11/2021
Bahia Palace , (the beautiful, the brilliant) is a former nineteenth century palace of eight hectares in Moorish / Islamic style, in Marrakech, Morocco. Current museum, it is one of the masterpieces of Moroccan architecture and Moroccan art, one of the major monuments of the cultural heritage of the country, and one of the main places of tourism in Morocco .
Between 1866 and 1867 Si Moussa powerful and extremely wealthy Grand Vizier of Sultan Hassan I of Morocco (1836-1894) had the northern part of this vast palace built, in the form of a vast riad ( the largest, the most imposing, and the most sumptuous palace of Morocco of its time) in the south-east of the medina of Marrakech (historic center) near the Jemaa el-Fna square, Menara garden, Agdal gardens , El Badi Palace, and Royal Palace of Marrakech ..., by the Moroccan architect Mohammed al-Makki.
Ahmed ben Moussa (1841-1900, son heir successor of Si M***a as Grand Vizier) reigned over Morocco from 1894 until his death in 1900, as regent of the young Sultan Abd al-Aziz of Morocco (1878-1943) . During his reign, Ahmed ben Moussa enlarged the southern part of this official palace, where he resides with his four official wives, his harem of 24 concubines, and their many children. The palace is named after its favorite mistress, the Bāhiya "the beautiful, the shining".
Built, decorated, and fitted out by the best know-how of the best craftsmen of the country of the time, with successions of many courtyards, honorary courtyards of 50x30 m, apartments, lounges, bedrooms, entangled in a labyrinth, with a mosque, Koranic school, harem, hammam, stables, Islamic garden, Andalusian-Hispano-Moorish gardens, and fountains, near the “Bahia Palace gardens” with huge vegetable garden and orchard of olive trees, palm trees, date trees, pomegranate trees, grapefruit trees, lemon trees, and orange trees ...
With the disappearance of Vizier ben Moussa in 1900, the young Sultan Abd al-Aziz of Morocco (1878-1943) began his reign over Morocco. He looted the palace, and established the French protectorate in Morocco, under which General Lyautey, resident general of France in Morocco, and future Marshal of France, made it his personal place of residence from 1912, and a residence of French military officers. He had electricity, heating and fireplaces installed there.
The palace is spread over nearly eight hectares, with a mosque, mausoleum, hammam, harem, stables ... It consists of a vast succession of around 150 pieces richly decorated with marble, moucharabiehs, sculptures and paintings on wood beech and cedar, stucco, zellige, the first stained glass windows from the Maghreb, housed in heterogeneous buildings, several times modified over time, organized around numerous courtyards, patios, Islamic gardens and verdant Andalusian-Hispano-Moorish gardens , lush, refreshing, planted with orange trees, banana trees, cypresses, hibiscus, jasmines ..., irrigated by khettaras ...
Visit Marrakech & Morocco
Bassou Said