SAADIAN TOMBS

The mausoleums of the princes of the Saadian dynasty, which ruled Marrakesh and Morocco for 125 years, were built at the end of the 16th century by Ahmed the Golden. They must embellish the koubba where the remains of his father, Moulay Abdallah, his grandfather, Mohammed ech-Sheikh, founder of the Saadian dynasty, and the Marinid Sultan Abu el-Hassan, buried here in 1359, lie. These tombs are the only remnant of the greatness of a dynasty whose attachment to the development of the arts and diplomatic relations with the rest of the world earned Marrakech some of its fame beyond the seas. Ahmed el-Mansour, to whom the city already owes the construction of the El Badi Palace, wants to make these mausoleums the masterpieces of Marrakchi art. Decorated with multicoloured zellij checkerboards, edged with arabesques, vaulted with stucco stalactites and adorned with Italian marble, these tombs are so beautiful that when Marrakech fell into the hands of the Alaouites in 1654, Sultan Moulay Ismaïl, although inclined to raze everything that evoked the splendour of his predecessors, did not dare to touch them. He only decided to surround them with an enclosure where only a few worshippers could enter through a back door, located in the Kasbah Mosque. The existence of the Saadian tombs was not revealed to the public until 1917. An access corridor is bored next to the mosque to allow non-Muslims to admire this architectural ensemble in perfect state of conservation where 66 members of this illustrious dynasty are buried. Just past the entrance is the prayer room. Originally, it was not intended to be used for graves. You will discover a beautiful oratory divided into three naves by four white marble columns. On the left, the mihrab, is set in a refined décor. Opposite the latter, a beautiful door gives access to the large burial chamber, also called the Kings' Hall. It is in the centre of this room that lies Ahmed the Golden, who died of the plague in 1603. 12 columns of Carrara marble support the superb carved cedar wood dome sprinkled with gold. Around him lie the members of his family and three of his successors. On the right, the Hall of Princes contains the children's graves. In the garden, rest, servants and wives. The courtyard, where the tombs of the dynasty's servants are located, leads you to a second mausoleum, covered with green glazed tiles and dedicated to Lalla Messaouda, the mother of Ahmed the Golden, who was buried here in 1591 in a carved white marble sarcophagus.