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1578
It was begun a few months after the Battle of the Three Kings
Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty commissioned the palace a few months after he took the throne in 1578. Building began in December 1578, only months after the Saadian victory at the Battle of the Three Kings, and it took fifteen years, finishing in 1593. It was used for receptions and was designed to show off the sultan's wealth and power.
Materials
Marble came from Italy and plaster from Timbuktu
The palace was decorated with materials imported from many countries, from Italy to Mali, including marble columns made in Italy and lime and plaster from Timbuktu. The sultan had workers and artisans brought from many regions, including Europe, and a market grew up near the site to serve them. He even provided child care for his workers so that they would not be distracted.
The name
The Incomparable is one of the 99 Names of God
The name el-Badi', usually translated as the Incomparable, is one of the 99 Names of God in Islam. Ahmad al-Mansur may have chosen it because of his own reputed piety, and to show that he meant to create a superlative palace to impress guests. The name had precedents in Moorish palace architecture in Cordoba, Spain.
Decline
The palace was stripped of its marble and left to ruin
The palace was neglected after al-Mansur's death in 1603 and fell into ruin as the Saadian dynasty declined. At one point it was even plagued by malaria. Its valuable materials, especially marble, were stripped and reused in other buildings across Morocco. Moulay Isma'il is said to have ordered it demolished around 1707, and its materials went to his new capital at Meknes.
Today
The old pulpit of the Kutubiyya stands among the ruins
Today the ruined palace is a well-known tourist attraction in Marrakesh and serves as an exhibition space. The minbar, or pulpit, of the Kutubiyya Mosque is displayed here.
Day 1, afternoon
It comes after Saadian Tombs. Then Jemaa el-Fnaa.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article El Badi Palace, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.