The Magnificent Bahia Palace

Being close to the well-known Jemaa El Fna square in the old city of Marrakesh (around 900 meters southeast of the square), it is quite accessible to reach Bahia Palace. The palace is situated along the northern edge of Jewish quarter which the locals call the Mellah.

How to reach Bahia Palace:

The distinctive location of Bahia Palace near the Medina quarter (The old city of Marrakesh) makes it very approachable. If you are at Jemaa el Fna, just follow Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid Street, which is on the corner of the famous restaurant Marrakchi; then the palace will be ahead of you. It is only a 15-minute walk from the square.

Bahia Palace opens its door to visitors daily from 09:00 am till 5:00 pm. However, these opening and closure timings are subject to change during visits of the Moroccan Royal family and National Holidays, so please re-check the timing before your visit.  

Best time to visit Bahia Palace:

It is preferable to be there early before 10:00 am to avoid the crowds and to skip the tickets line. One-hour tour in the Palace would be sufficient to explore the beauty of Bahia Palace  

Bahia Palace Entrance Fee:

To observe the breathtaking magnificence of Bahia Palace, you will only pay 70 Moroccan-dirhams admission fee (around US$8). It is highly recommended to hire a local guide for a tour at the palace, especially that there is no visitor information available there.

In the late 1860’s Bahia Palace was commissioned by Grand Vizier Si Moussa of Sultan Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman (Also known as Sultan Mawlay Muhammad IV). Named after his favourite wife ”Bahia”, Si Moussa who was a former black slave raised through the ranks and became the grand vizier intended to erect a palace to be the greatest of its time to “perpetuates” the name of his beloved wife Bahia who descended from the barbarian tribe of Al Rahmanah that is renowned for its knowledge and power.

Built and completed in two Phases, Bahia Palace which was first begun to be constructed sometime between 1859 and 1873 by Si Moussa, was later expanded and embellished from 1894 to 1900 by his son and successor Ahmed bin Moussa also known as ‘Ba’ Ahmed who also served as grand vizier to Sultan Mawlay 'Abd al-'Aziz.

After‌ ‌the‌ ‌death‌ ‌of‌ ‌Bou‌ ‌Ahmed‌ ‌in‌ ‌1900,‌ ‌the‌ ‌beguiling‌ ‌charms‌ ‌of‌ ‌Bahia‌ ‌Palace‌ ‌attracted‌ ‌

Thami‌ ‌El‌ ‌Glaoui‌ ‌Pasha‌,‌ ‌a‌ ‌warlord‌ ‌and‌ ‌an‌ ‌ally‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌French‌ ‌Protectorate‌ ‌in‌ ‌Morocco‌ ‌and‌ ‌

served‌ ‌as‌ ‌the‌ ‌Ruler‌ ‌of‌ ‌Marrakesh‌ ‌from‌ ‌1912‌ ‌to‌ ‌1956.‌ ‌In‌ ‌1908‌ ‌the‌ ‌Palace‌ ‌was‌ ‌used‌ ‌by‌ ‌‌El‌ ‌

Glaoui‌ ‌Pasha‌ ‌‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌venue‌ ‌to‌ ‌host‌ ‌the‌ ‌increasingly‌ ‌powerful‌ ‌Europeans‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌French.‌ ‌Later‌ ‌

on,‌ ‌the‌ ‌French‌ ‌kicked‌ ‌‌Glaoui‌ ‌Pasha‌‌ ‌out‌ ‌in‌ ‌1911,‌ ‌installing‌ ‌the‌ ‌protectorate’s‌ ‌

resident-general‌ ‌in‌ ‌his‌ ‌place.‌ ‌

In‌ ‌their‌ ‌efforts‌ ‌to‌ ‌preserve‌ ‌the‌ ‌palace,‌ ‌the‌ ‌Moroccan‌ ‌government‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌past‌ ‌decades‌ ‌was‌ ‌

keen‌ ‌on‌ ‌restoring‌ ‌the‌ ‌Bahia‌ ‌Palace‌ ‌to‌ ‌keep‌ ‌it‌ ‌well-maintained.‌ ‌Part‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌palace‌ ‌is‌ ‌currently‌ ‌

occupied‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌‌Moroccan‌ ‌Ministry‌ ‌of‌ ‌Cultural‌ ‌Affairs‌.‌

Bahia Palace is characterized by being erected in “piecemeal fashion” as it was erected in two phases by two different men, a father and son who each served as grand viziers. The first part of the palace, known as Dar Si Moussa, was built by Si Moussa, and the second phase of construction was directed by Ba Ahmed (The son of Si Moussa) to accommodate his four wives and 24 concubines. The second phase of the palace’s expansion was under the supervision of the well-known Moroccan 19th century architect Muhammed bin Makki Al-Messiwi.

Bahia Palace spans over a total area of eight hectares in plan, comprised of a series of walled gardens, pavilions, courtyard buildings and 150 Rooms including the harem section that’s close to the Court of Honor (only some of these rooms are accessible to the public)  

Dar Si Moussa, the first constructed part of the palace, consists of a courtyard in the north of the complex, as well as a central garden with several fountains and trees of cypress, orange, jasmine, and banana. Surrounding this lush garden, there are two “ornately” decorated rooms roofed with ceramic tiles which contain inscriptions dating the construction of this part of the palace to 1867. Renowned for its balance of refined decor and a charming pastoral ambiance, Dar Si Moussa which is only a small portion of the overall Bahia Palace complex is a must-see part of the palace.  

The newer section of Bahia palace added by the Grand Vizier Ba Ahmed was intentionally built to surpass the glory and magnificence of Dar Si Moussa built by his father. Thus, the well-known architect Muhammed bin Makki Al-Messiwi with all his expertise in Andalusian and Spanish craftsmanship was enlisted by Ba Ahmed to decorate the major apartments of the additions to the palace.  

Artisans from across North Africa and Andalusia were employed in the construction of the palace. In addition, all materials used for the decoration of the Bahia Palace were imported from all over North Africa. For example, marbles were quarried from the town of Meknès and Cedar wood for the painted ceilings of the palace was ordered from the Mid-Atlas region.

Once you step into the palace through a “horseshoe-arch doorway” from the main street, you will come across a long garden path heading to the minor courtyard which takes you to the most recent part in comparison with the other buildings of the pal ace: The Small Riad. The Small Riad or Petit Riad is a square courtyard garden interrupted by a remarkable ceramic fountain and surrounded by ornately decorated galleries and chambers. One of the chambers was Ba Ahmed's Council Chamber (In Arabic Diwan). On the second floor of The Riad, you will find an apartment added by El-Glaoui after Ba Ahmed's death.

Bahia Palace’s Grand marble-paved courtyard features one of the main elements in the palace. Measuring 30 meters wide along its north-south axis and 50 meters long along its east-west axis, the marble courtyard took around 10 years to be finished as it was constructed between 1896 and 1897. The arches that support the inner sides of the galleries feature bright yellow and blue ceramic screens inset above their imposts.  

After Ba Ahmed’s death the sultan took all the art work and furniture from the palace to decorate his own palaces. Although all the rooms in the Bahia Palace are empty, this lack of furnishings doesn’t detract from the splendor of the palace. Besides, the wives and concubines’ rooms with their carved-cedar ceilings stand as one of the frequently visited places in the Place.