El Badi Palace

Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur called it "The Incomparable." Built with gold and onyx from Timbuktu, Italian marble, and Irish oak, El Badi was the palace that announced Morocco's arrival as a world power. The celebrations for its completion lasted months. A century later, Moulay Ismail stripped it bare. Every tile, every beam, every piece of marble was carted north to build his new capital at Meknes. What remains is a vast ruin — sunken gardens, crumbling walls, and the storks that nest on every available surface. The scale is still astonishing. The main courtyard alone covers nearly an acre. The sunken orange groves hint at the paradise garden it once was. The walls, stripped of decoration, show the raw pisé construction beneath the glory. Some find it melancholy. Others find it honest. Best time: Late afternoon light Allow: 1 hour Combine with: Saadian Tombs (5-minute walk) and Bahia Palace