Marrakech - palaces

[motetus]

Almost done, I promise!

Bahia (brilliance) Palace, built in the 19th century by the then grand vizier Si Moussa. Lots of gorgeous painted wood here, but it didn't feel like it was the greatest palace of its time that it was intended to be when it was built.











And on to a palace in not such a fine state. The 16th century El Badi (the incomparable) Palace must have been majestic once but now it's reduced to only its red walls, and inhabited by lots of storks.



I'm a wildlife photographer at heart.







The dungeons.



Okay, the next two aren't palaces at all. This unremarkable little building is the Almoravid Koubba, the only building in Morocco to survive intact from the 11th century Almoravid dynasty, and was probably an annexe to a mosque for washing before prayer.



The inside of the dome.



Lastly, the Ben Youssef Medersa, a 16th century religious school.



Reflections of carvings make the dirty little courtyard pool more appealing.



The students had the grim little prison cells on the ground floor, while the teachers get the nicer rooms overlooking the courtyard.

Comments

[pronker]

Sometimes I think of the scavengers who came after the palace's grandeur had faded, and who yanked down the copper/tiles/marble facings or whatever and what they must have thought (probably not too much) about when they traded all that stuff in for money. Maybe they used it for their own homes, too.

That's a precious little washing house, that is, and I guess the storks are resting from all their flights with babies.

[motetus.livejournal.com]

In this case the scavenger would be the Sultan Moulay Ismail who tore down the place in order to nick materials decorate his own palace in Meknes. It's a little sad because it would have been stunning once, but the huge walls are still very impressive (the courtyard is massive, but none of my photos of that were particularly great)

[shakesmears.livejournal.com]

Nope. Not bored yet!

There are some gorgeous ones in this batch but I especially love the dungeons (who'd have thought it??), the pillars, the doorway with the open, patterned door and the reflections. Lovely.

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Dungeons? You? Really? ;)

I do like visiting countries where health and safety isn't considered as important as it is here, and they let you stumble into pitch black cells. No shackles left though, so the wife ended up returning home with me. :(

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was lovely. I love all the carvings and how they seemed to cover every inch with decoration. Thanks so much for this.

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Yep, carvings everywhere. After a while all the patterns make you think you're in a giant 3D stereogram,

[inyadreems.livejournal.com]

You have made me slightly re-think my "no way I'm going there" stance. It's much more beautiful than I had imagined. (Still too hot though.)

[motetus.livejournal.com]

The heat wasn't too bad. If you stayed in the sun too much you'd feel it a bit, but in the shade and towards the evening it was really pleasent. I wore jeans and long-sleeved tops and was quite comfortable (the locals wore thick wool robes and heavy winter jackets, which I thought was overdoing it a little!).