Bahia Palace is a palace of century XIXᵉ of eight hectares in Marrakech, Morocco. It is a masterpiece of Moroccan architecture, one of the major monuments of cultural heritage. It was built southeast of the medina of Marrakech between 1866 and 1867. It was built for Si Moussa, chamberlain of Sultan Hassan 1st of Morocco, at his death, his son, Ahmed Ben Moussa, had enlarged the southern part his father’s palace by the successive acquisition and glitzy development of large sets of neighboring houses. The palace takes its name from his favorite mistress, Bahia. From 1912, General Lyautey, Marshal of France, used it as his personal residence as well as the residence of French officers by adding chimneys, heating and electricity. It has about 150 lavishly decorated rooms. There are marble, wood paintings, stained glass windows, many patios and gardens with orange trees, banana trees, cypresses, hibiscus and jasmine. The Moroccan royal family of King Mohammed VI sometimes stay there in a large private party not open to the public.
Tips
The palace is open to visitors, at your visit ask for information because you can also attend concerts of Arab-Andalusian music and art exhibitions.
You can also ask for a guide to accompany you and tell the whole story which is very interesting.
