Marrakech, Morocco
Moroccan cultural heritage site
The Saadian Tombs, in the Kasbah quarter behind the qibla wall of the Kasbah Mosque, are one of Morocco's most famous royal necropolises. They grew mainly under Ahmad al-Mansur (1578 to 1603), building on an earlier burial ground used by Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib, and hold more than sixty graves of Saadian sultans and their families; burials continued here for a while after the dynasty. Sealed off and largely forgotten, they were rediscovered in 1917, then restored and opened to visitors. Art historians see them as the high point of Saadian architecture, with echoes of the Marinid tombs of Fez and Chellah and of Nasrid Granada. The best-known room is the Hall of the Twelve Columns, where al-Mansur lies, with Carrara marble columns, a gilded cedar dome, lace-like muqarnas stucco and fine zellij. Beside it are the Hall of the Mihrab and the Hall of the Three Niches, and the garden holds decorated graves of relatives and courtiers. It is small, but the detail is extraordinary, one of the loveliest sights in the Kasbah.
You can see it in twenty to thirty minutes, but the queue to look into the Hall of the Twelve Columns can be long, so come at opening or near closing. It is a burial place: visit quietly and respectfully. It is near the El Badi and Bahia palaces, an easy half-day trio.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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ParkMarrakech, Morocco
