Built in stages between the 1860s and 1900 by grand viziers Si Musa and his son Ba Ahmed, the Bahia Palace covers nearly 2 hectares with around 150 rooms organised around riads and courtyards. Its painted cedar ceilings, sculpted stucco and zellij are among the finest expressions of late Moorish architecture in Morocco.
Why visit
The Bahia is the largest 19th-century palace in Marrakech and the most complete surviving example of late Moroccan Moorish architecture. Built by two of the most powerful viziers of the Alawi sultanate, it concentrates almost every craft tradition of the medina — cedar marquetry, sculpted plaster, zellij and tadelakt — under a single roof.
What to expect
A circuit of riad gardens and courtyards rather than a single grand hall. Highlights are the Small Riad with its citrus trees, the Grand Courtyard's marble paving and central fountain, and the painted cedar ceilings of the Private Apartment.
Best time
Open from morning to late afternoon. Aim for opening time or the last hour before closing for softer light in the courtyards and thinner crowds. Midday in summer is hot in the open courtyards with limited shade.
Price range
Bahia Palace is ticketed: 100 Dh for foreign adults and 50 Dh for foreign children aged 7 to 13; 30 Dh for Moroccan and resident adults and 10 Dh for their children aged 7 to 13.
Free for Moroccans every Friday and on the first days of national and religious holidays. Tickets are sold by the Ministry of Culture at the entrance or on its e-services platform.
Practical tips
Check the official Ministry of Culture entry fee at the gate; signage is in Arabic and French. The palace is a 5-minute walk southeast of Jemaa el-Fnaa via Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jdid. Cover shoulders and knees out of respect; non-flash photography is allowed.
Bahia means 'the brilliant' in Arabic and was reportedly the name of Ba Ahmed's favourite wife. The palace was named in her honour when the second phase of construction was completed in 1900.
Ba Ahmed, who oversaw the largest expansion phase between 1894 and 1900, is recorded as having physical difficulty using stairs, which is one reason the entire palace is laid out on one floor rather than the more common two-storey riad pattern.
Plan around 60 to 90 minutes. The route covers the main entrance courtyard, the Small Riad, the Grand Courtyard with its central fountain, the Grand Riad and the Private Apartment, with detours to look up at the painted cedar ceilings.
Yes. The 8 September 2023 earthquake caused partial collapses in some adjoining structures, roof damage, wall fissures and the collapse of a vaulted ceiling in the Grand Riad. Restoration work has been progressing since.