Monument & palace · Kasbah

El Badi Palace

The vast ochre ruins of a 16th-century palace, with storks on the walls and the Atlas from the ramparts.

Opening hours: 9:00–17:00
Ticket: 100 MAD (≈ €9)
Time needed: 1 h
Best time: Late afternoon
Jemaa el-Fna: 15 min on foot

Why go

Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour built “the Incomparable” after his victory of 1578, with Italian marble and gold ceilings. A century later Moulay Ismail stripped it for his palace in Meknes, leaving the enormous walls, sunken gardens and pools you see today.

The scale is the experience. Climb the terrace for a view over the Kasbah and, on clear days, the snowy Atlas; the small museum keeps the restored 12th-century minbar of the Koutoubia.

Tips

Go up to the ramparts terrace: it is the best free view in the Kasbah.
There is little shade: avoid midday in summer.
The Koutoubia minbar room is easy to miss, near the entrance.
Photo tip: The sunken orange gardens from the terrace in late-afternoon light, storks nesting on the walls.