Badii Palace, Marrakech
The palace was significantly damaged in the September 2023 earthquake that struck southern Morocco. An early assessment of the damage found major cracks in the walls of the palace’s exhibition rooms and in the area where the modern bathrooms are located. The site was temporarily closed for repairs and was reopened to visitors in October 2023.
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Wikipedia blurb:
El Badi Palace or Badi’ Palace (Arabic: قصر البديع, lit. ’Palace of Wonder/Brilliance’, also frequently translated as the “Incomparable Palace”) is a ruined palace located in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty a few months after his accession in 1578, with construction and embellishment continuing throughout most of his reign. The palace, decorated with materials imported from numerous countries ranging from Italy to Mali, was used for receptions and designed to showcase the Sultan’s wealth and power. It was one part of a larger Saadian palace complex occupying the Kasbah district of Marrakesh.
The palace was neglected after al-Mansur’s death in 1603 and eventually fell into ruin with the decline of the Saadian dynasty. Its valuable materials, particularly marble, were stripped away and reused in other buildings throughout Morocco. Today, it is a significant tourist attraction in Marrakesh and serves as an exhibition space. Notably, the Minbar of the Kutubiyya Mosque is displayed here.
The palace today is a well-known tourist attraction. The complex contains an exhibition space where the 12th-century Almoravid minbar that once stood in the Kutubiyya Mosque is on display, in addition to other exhibition spaces opened in 2018. For a number of years the Marrakesh Folklore Festival has taken place within the palace.
Source: WikiPedia
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