El Badi Palace
El Badi Palace is a great historical castle in Marrakech and one of its top attractions. Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour built it at the end of the sixteenth century to memorialize the triumph over the Portuguese in the Battle of the Three Kings.
It is a ruined palace with only a few remains, so what it looked like in its age is a significant question for many historians. Regarding the massive size of the patio and its abundance, it is said to have been a palace with over 300 rooms decorated in gold, turquoise, and crystal.
Construction of the palace
El Badi Palace took 25 years to complete. This grand palace contains over 350 luxury rooms, a large pool, a roomy courtyard, sundry gardens, summer pavilions, stables, and dungeons. Every single room at this palace was decorated lavishly. Only famous artisans fabricated elegant designs with gold, Italian marble, onyx, ivory, and cedarwood.
History of the Palace
Saadi Dynasty's sixth sultan, Ahmad el Mansour, was the fifth son of the dynasty's founder, Mohammed ash-sheik. El Mansour was obliged to escape Morocco with his brother Abd al-Malik after the murder of his father in 1557 to avoid any hardship by their eldest brother, Abdallah al Ghalib. After 17 years of exile, El Mansour and al-Malik returned to Marrakech and insulated al Ghalib's son, who had succeeded him as Sultan. Al-Malik became the ruler of the throne up to 1578 when the War of the Three Kings started. This war saw a dispute between al Ghalib's son to return the throne, the Portuguese King Sebastian I, and Al-Malik. But the son and al-Malik died in the war, and el Mansour became al-Malik's successor. After that, he collected enormous wealth from Portuguese captives and planned to build a gigantic palace Marrakesh had never seen.
Nowadays, the palace is still well worth visiting; it is easy to imagine the beauty of the courtyard with the pool. Although the castle is in ruins, it is possible to explore. Keep this historical site on your tour; you can return to the end of the sixteenth century with your imagination.
