El Badi Palace: Week 1 / Day 6 / Jan 16
Marrakech, Morocco: Within a 1 km walk of the Palais Bahia is El Badi Palace. Built in the 16th century, it was literally paid for with a king’s ransom (paid by the Portuguese after the Battle of the Three Kings). The palace no longer retains its full glory, but it is still quite impressive to see. The overwhelming thing about this palace is the sheer scale of it. The walls are thick, the courtyard is massive, and the remaining buildings are enormous.
After entering the main gate, a visitor walks straight out into the gardens. Built in the typical four sectioned garden style, it has a massive pool in the middle.
Although somewhat neglected over time, the gardens still have many flowers, orange trees, and even some corn growing in them.
Located off to the side of the main courtyard, is the ambassador’s courtyard for receiving visiting dignitaries. I am not sure we qualified as such, but we visited anyway.
The walls of the palace are pocked with many holes (not sure if by design or due to age). Shown below is a closeup of a hole that is developing in one of the walls.
Many birds have created roosts within the holes in the walls.
Additionally, storks have built nests atop the walls of the palace (however, none were seen carrying babies in sheets – while not definitive proof, I think we can call that myth “busted”).
Located at the far end of the courtyard is a large building that was used to receive guests who were visiting. The scale of the building is enormous and would have made quite an impression on the visitor.
Off the main section of the courtyard opposite the entrance, is a very worn section. Located within these ruins is a former prison. Living conditions in here would appear to have been quite unpleasant. On the plus side, prisoners were only held for fifteen days or less. On the not so good side, if found guilty, they typically had a hand or foot amputated, or were branded or lashed prior to release. When viewed in that light, a bit more time in the prison may have been preferable.
A few remaining shots of the palace are shown below to complete the visit.
