El Badi Palace

El Badi Palace is an impressive ruin. The ruins of this palace have a thousand stories to tell. It was built by Saadian King Ahmad al-Mansur using precious materials such as gold and marble. It epitomised decadence and served as a prominent display of the king’s wealth. This might explain why it was ravaged and looted by subsequent rulers of Morocco. Today, visitors can only see skeletal remains of the palace and its gardens. It is easy to make out the placement of the rooms but that’s about it. The lack of sighposts explaining the importance of the ruins might be the reason for the lack of tourists.
Hundreds of storks can be found at the sleepy ruins. The building might not be magnificent anymore but it is possible to walk up to the terrace for a stunning panorama of the Atlas Mountains. It’s a bit hard to find the El Badi Palace as it lies beyond the madness of the Jemma El Fna but locating it is worthwhile. This is definitely a sight you don’t want to miss.