Bahia Palace
Marrakech's most visited palace - and it earns it, less for its history than for what it does with the light. An hour is enough, early morning, before the tour groups.
History & context
Built at the end of the 19th century, Bahia Palace - ‘the brilliant one’ - grew from the ambition of one man, then his son.
Si Moussa, grand vizier to the sultan, laid the first stones; his son Ba Ahmed ben Moussa extended it into one of the largest residences in Morocco. Close to eight hectares, one hundred and fifty rooms, courts, riads planted with orange trees - all without an overall plan: land was added as it was bought from the neighbours.
The result is a lavish, slightly aimless labyrinth. On Ba Ahmed’s death in 1900, the palace was looted in a matter of days. What you visit today is bare walls: painted cedar ceilings, zellige tiles, chiselled stucco. Architecture stripped of its furniture - perhaps for the best.
You don’t come to the Bahia for its history. You come for the way the light falls into the main court, at ten in the morning.
What to see - the highlights
The main court of honour
1,500 m² of Italian marble, open to the sky. The highlight of the visit.
The small riad
The oldest and most intimate garden, planted with citrus trees.
The private apartments
Painted ceilings, coloured stained glass and fireplaces of the favourite wife.
The cedar ceilings
Hand-painted floral motifs - look up everywhere.
Gallery
The best photo spots
Where to point the camera, and when the light is at its best.
Marble and arcades
The empty symmetrical floor, framed from the south corner, before the groups arrive.
The stained-glass light
The coloured reflections cast on the floor by the stained glass, in the favourite's rooms.
The orange-tree patio
The pool and the trees in perspective, from the north corner of the oldest garden.
Le palais de la Bahia
Marrakech's most visited palace: eight hectares of courtyards, riads and painted cedar ceilings, in the south of the medina.
Tickets & guided tours
Book ahead - useful during peak hours, when the queue can top thirty minutes.
Entry ticket + digital audio guide
Guided tour with priority entry
Bahia, Ben Youssef Madrasa & Secret Garden
Bahia, Saadian Tombs & Koutoubia walking tour
Booking via GetYourGuide, our ticket partner. Indicative prices ; we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Visitor tips
At opening (9am) or late afternoon: the light is low and the courtyards still empty.
11am to 3pm: tour coaches, queues at the entrance and crowded courts for photos.
- Reckon on an hour; the route is one-way, no doubling back.
- Continue on foot to the Mellah and the Saadian Tombs, five minutes away.
- Little shade in the main court - hat and water in summer.
Location & access
In the south-east of the medina, on the edge of the Mellah, the former Jewish quarter. Ten minutes on foot from Jemaa el-Fna via Rue Riad Zitoun el Jdid. No parking on site: taxis drop off at Bab Mellah.
