Bahia Palace in Marrakech
The Bahia Palace is a building of the late 19th century and was at that time the largest palace in Morocco. The gardens built on the grounds of the palace are now part of the Marrakech park. As in other palaces and gardens of Morocco at that time, the design of the garden was designed to emphasize the essence of Islamic and Moroccan architecture. The total area of the complex, including the palace - some rooms overlook the courtyard - is about 2 hectares. It was built by the grand vizier 'Ministre' of Sultan "Roi" Si Moussa. The palace built for personal use has received the name of one of his wives.
At that time, the women of the grand vizier was also present, as evidenced by the large green yard with the central basin. The uilder then commissioned artisans from the city of Fez to build and decorate the palace, which was adapted to the style of the late nineteenth century. The Bahia Palace is one of the most beautiful of its kind in Marrakech, Morocco. The architecture of the buildings and interiors is a mixture of Andalusian and Moroccan style. The name of the palace means "shine". The gardens belonging to the palace occupy an area of about 8000 square meters and the 150 rooms of the palace overlook several courtyards.
The area of the palace (including the garden) extends over a total area of nearly 8 hectares, as mentioned earlier, whose palace buildings occupy about 2 hectares. The buildings are all richly decorated inside and out. The parts of the decoration are made of so-called mouchar derivatives, which are semi-transparent ornamental elements, for example in the windows, they provide additional shade and also serve as sunscreen. Other coatings are marble, carvings and paintings on beech and cedar, stucco and the very popular Zellige. The houses and rooms are organized without a fixed order inside - there are many green and refreshing courtyards and gardens planted with orange, banana, cypress, hibiscus and jasmine and irrigated by Khettaras.
If Ahmed ben Musa (1841-1900), also known as Bahmad, was the chief treasurer and grand vizier of Moulay Hassan, as was his father before. During his reign, Ahmed ben Musa expanded the southern part of the official palace. The powerful vizier of the Sultan had built this palace for his favorite mistress, hence the name Bahias "the beautiful, the brilliant". Regent of the minor sultan, he managed, at the end of 1899, to repress a rebellion of Misfioua Berber in the central Atlas. After his death in 1900, when he returned from a military expedition, 14-year-old Muley Abdul Aziz was proclaimed Sultan.
The wife of Ahmed ben Musa, 4 wives and 24 concubines, later lived in this palace. The halls of the harem (women) included a spacious courtyard with a small lake surrounded by rooms for concubines. During the French protectorate over Morocco, a colonial administrator lived there for a few years. Later, the resident general in Morocco, Hubert Lyautey, hosted guests from the state and the royal family used the Bahia Palace as a winter district. Today, the palace is administered by the Ministry of Culture and serves as a museum and cultural center. From time to time, concerts are also organized, mainly with Arab-Andalusian music. In 2000, the palace complex was completely renovated.
If Ahmed ben Musa (1841-1900), also known as Bahmad, was the chief treasurer and grand vizier of Moulay Hassan, as was his father before. During his reign, Ahmed ben Musa expanded the southern part of the official palace. The powerful vizier of the Sultan had built this palace for his favorite mistress, hence the name Bahias "the beautiful, the brilliant". Regent of the minor sultan, he managed, at the end of 1899, to repress a rebellion of Misfioua Berber in the central Atlas. After his death in 1900, when he returned from a military expedition, 14-year-old Muley Abdul Aziz was proclaimed Sultan.
The wife of Ahmed ben Musa, 4 wives and 24 concubines, later lived in this palace. The halls of the harem (women) included a spacious courtyard with a small lake surrounded by rooms for concubines. During the French protectorate over Morocco, a colonial administrator lived there for a few years. Later, the resident general in Morocco, Hubert Lyautey, hosted guests from the state and the royal family used the Bahia Palace as a winter district. Today, the palace is administered by the Ministry of Culture and serves as a museum and cultural center. From time to time, concerts are also organized, mainly with Arab-Andalusian music. In 2000, the palace complex was completely renovated.
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