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El Badi Palace
Marrakech, Morocco · Palaces & landmarks
An Apollonaut travel guide
The place behind the detail.
Royal mausoleums, carved decoration and a garden courtyard offer several ways into the story of the Saadian Tombs.
On this page
A royal necropolis
The Moroccan Ministry of Culture dates the creation of the Saadian Tombs to 1557, when Abdallah al-Ghalib built a burial place for his father, Muhammad al-Shaykh. The site lies in Marrakech’s Kasbah district.
This is a place of remembrance as well as architecture. Its mausoleums bring together royal history, craftsmanship and a carefully arranged sequence of interior and courtyard spaces.
Architecture and memory
The Ministry describes two main architectural parts. One includes the Hall of the Mihrab, the Hall of Twelve Columns and the Hall of Three Niches. The other is associated with the qubba of Lalla Messaouda.
Marble, carved plaster, cedar and tilework reward a closer look. Notice how a column meets an arch, how light falls across a carved surface and how the scale changes between a chamber and the courtyard.
Heritage we describe, not heritage we own
This Saadian Tombs page is part of the Apollonaut Global Travel Platform, operated by Apollonaut Pty Ltd (ACN 703 643 485, ABN 74 703 643 485). This history belongs to the place and the people who shaped it.
Our existing History page offers a longer introduction. The timeline provides a brief route through selected, sourced milestones.
