AL BAHIA PALACE
You will not be confused when you will visit MARRAKECH because you are in the crackle of the MOROCCAN civilizations .I t was the main capital of the ALMORAVID AND ALMOHAD, then the maronites, the SAADIANS and finally the ALAWITES. One of the most well known museums and monuments that we will talk about is THE AL BAHIA PALACE.
The BAHIA PALACE is a cluster
The BAHIA PALACE is a cluster of compact houses and outbuildings with different sizes and no pre-established order .It was built in two phases over an area of around 8 hectares in the second half of the nineteenth century and it bears significant witness to the Moroccan architectural genius of that era ,in particular through the paints on wood , which are illuminating the ceilings, the lintels ,the doors and the windows .
SI MOUSSA’S HOUSE or DAR SI MOUSSA
Initially ,there had been only (DAR) Si MOUSSA , which is the northern part and the oldest .It comprised a large Riad ( a house set out around a large garden ),the northern courtyard and ancillary spaces .
The completion of construction of this part is dated by an inscription of 1866 -1867 .At that time , SI MOUSSA , BA AHMAD’s father , was a chamberlain and was then about to become the grand VIZIR (prime minister).
When sultan Moulay Hassan passed away in 1894 , his son and legal successor , Moulay ABDELAZIZ ,was only fifteen years old. Chamberlain AHMED Ben Moussa ,nicknamed BA AHMED assumed the title of the grand VIZIR and held the power as regent until his death in 1900 .
It was from the year 1894 onwards that BA AHMED started extending his father’s dwelling ,by the acquisition of a number of houses which were then combined into a genuine palace (BAHIA) by the Moroccan architect MOHAMED AL MAKKI AL MASFIOUI. The best labourers and craftsmen from all over the country were summoned and worked continuously throughout six years 1894-1900 to complete the construction, but in 1912 and after the French colonization the palace became the home of the FRENCH RESIDENT GENERAL in Marrakesh.
The BAHIA PALACE means ‘’ the brilliant’’ in Arabic, was reportedly the names of his love and wife. So, today the palace is open for everyone, you can visit the palace from 9AM TO 5 PM.