History & Architecture · Kasbah
Saadian Tombs
Walled up for two centuries, found again from a plane in 1917
About the place
Ahmed al-Mansour laid out this necropolis for his mother, then for himself and his dynasty. When the Alaouites took power, Moulay Ismail didn't dare destroy tombs, so he walled them in: the only way in was a passage from the neighbouring mosque. It was French aerial photographs, in 1917, that revealed the whole. The Hall of Twelve Columns, where the sultan lies, is small, six metres by six, but the gilded cedar dome and Italian marble make you forget the size. In the garden, 66 tombs of princes and servants covered in zellige, flush with the ground, among the rosemary.
Don't miss
- 01Hall of Twelve Columns
- 02Ahmed al-Mansour's tomb
- 03Garden of 66 zellige tombs
- 04Gilded cedar dome
Visiting tip
The queue for the main hall moves slowly, you only look from the doorway. Come at 9 or after 3:30, and take your time in the garden while you wait.
Location
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