Ruinous splendour

In the courtyard of the el-Badi Palace in Marrakesh: The palace was once the largest and most magnificent palace complex in Morocco. Although not much of the splendour of the Saadians has remained, the ruins still give a glimpse of the dimensions of the seat of power.

Under the Alawid sultan Mulai Ismail (1672-1727) the palace was robbed of all its splendour, marble slabs and even the columns were brought to Meknès on pack animals and reused there as spolia in the construction of the palaces of the new royal city. | Morocco