Morocco, Marrakech - Bahai Palace

This was another busy day and will probably result in multiple blog posts. Breakfast at 8 in the Riad, downstairs at a communal table. Nothing like the previous morning - fresh squeezed orange juice, fruit, coffee, toast (butter, marmalade, honey) and a plate with something like a crepe, a soft taco and a slice of orange cake. Then we met at 9 to start our tour.

Kitty taking a drink in the Riad courtyard.

 

Walking through the Medina was a bit quieter than before

as about half of the stalls had not yet opened

It was a chance to observe other elements.

like the carved wooden hoods over some doors

and the electrical crochet.

Shop keepers washing windows and cobblestones.

But morning deliveries still had to happen and people going to work, so, often, we were in single file trying to stay out of the way of carts and motorcycles.

Kittens still napping in spite of the crowds passing. We have seen a lot of cats, no dogs. Some are skinny and feral and others look well cares for. I saw a woman leaving chicken livers in front of a couple of feral cats.

The entrance passage to the palace was herringbone brick rather than rough, uneven cobble stones.

Large walls depicted the renovations underway.

Mustafan (no idea how to spell that) our local guide would tell us a little about the room or area and then give us time to take pictures before moving us on. The crowds started to build. A good job we were there early.

The Bahia Palace is a 19th-century Arab-Andalusian palace in Marrakesh, Morocco, covering about 2 hectares with roughly 150 to 160 rooms built around tranquil riad gardens and courtyards. [1, 2, 3]

Origins and Construction Timeline

Si Moussa (1860s–1867): The palace was commissioned in the 1860s by Si Moussa, who rose from a position of slavery to become Grand Vizier to Sultan Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman. He built the oldest, more intimate section known as the Small Riad. [1, 2, 3]
Ba Ahmed ibn Musa (1894–1900): After Si Moussa's death, his son Ba Ahmed (Bou Ahmed)—who served as Grand Vizier and effective regent for Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz—vastly expanded and embellished the complex. He added vast reception halls, diplomatic courtyards, harem quarters for his wives and concubines, and the grand white-marble courtyard. [1, 2, 3, 4]
 20th Century – French Protectorate & Royal Use: During the French colonial era in 1912, the complex served as the residence of the French Resident-General, Louis-Gonzague Lyautey. After Morocco gained independence in 1956, parts of it were used as a royal residence before being transferred to the Moroccan Ministry of Culture as a historic museum. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• from AI summary 

  

  Lots of elaborate Moorish architectural details on the walls,

  
   
  
  
  

  

  windows, 

  
  

  

  ceilings,

  
  

  

  lamps,

  
  

  

  doors

  
  
  
  
  

  

  shutters

  
  

  

  and floors.

  I took a lot of pictures and those that follow are just a sample:
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  I had seen this style in the Alhambra, in Granada, and the Alcazar in Seville, but it never fails to impress with the attention to detail, the painstaking artistic creation and the ability for the materials to stand the test of time.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  The restoration work was in evidence in this large courtyard;

  
  

  

  tools hanging around,

  
  

  

  partially sanded pillars

  
  

  

  and a guy throwing plaster at the wall.

  
  

  

  My apologies, but I just love this stuff.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Photo of either wives or concubines, there were a lot of both.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  and back out into the chaos of the Souk.