Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Basins & gardens
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The palace's central
courtyard is dominated
by five basins and four
sunken gardens planted
with orange trees. Of the
five basins, the central
one has an island that
comes alive every July
for the annual folk
festival. It is also used
as a venue during the
International Film
Festival
(see p44)
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A sinister omen
At a banquet to
celebrate the palace's
completion, a guest
declared, “When it is
demolished, it will make
a fine ruin.” El Mansour
was rendered speech-
less; the guest's sinister
omen has come true.
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Pavilion of 50
Columns
Ruins around the sides of
the courtyard were proba-
bly summer houses. The
Koubba El Khamsiniya
on the far western side is
named after the 50 pillars
used in its construction.
^
Mosque minbar
An “annexe du
palais” in the southeast
corner displays the 12th-
century pulpit
(minbar)
from Koutoubia Mosque.
Intricately carved, this is
a celebrated work of art
of Moorish Spain.
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Underground
passages
Beside the annexe, a
path leads down into the
former stables and dun-
geon
(above)
. Though you
can enter, the chambers
are only partially lit.
The Battle of the
Three Kings
In an attempt to wrest
the throne from his
uncle, Abdel Malek, the
Saadian Abu Abdallah
Mohammed II, along
with King Sebastian of
Portugal, declared war.
Fought in the town of
Ksar El Kebir, between
Tangier and Fès, all
three died in the battle.
Malek was succeeded
by his brother, Ahmed
El Mansour, builder of
the Badii Palace.
*
Rooftop terrace
At the northeastern
corner is the only intact
tower with an internal
staircase to the roof
where it's possible to get
a sense of the immense
size of the complex.
(
Storks
)
Khaysuran
Pavilion
A pavilion on the north of
the great court, once the
palace harem, now
serves as an exhibition
hall with shows of work
by local and locally-based
foreign artists.
The protrusions in the
crumbling walls are well-
loved by city storks who
have made their nests
here. Considered holy,
an old Berber belief has
it that storks are actually
transformed humans.
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For more information on the Koutoubia Mosque
, see pp12-13.
