Palaces in the East are a triumph of splendor and beauty. Every centimeter of their surfaces is a piece of art. Exactly how Shaherezada described them: huge spacious halls, green oases, a rave of color and light. The magnificent Bahia Palace has all these characteristics, it is a jewelry box filled with treasures hidden in the heart of Medina in Marrakesh.

Everything in this palace is remarkable. First, the name of the place highlights its essence. It can be translated as “the Palace of Beauty”.

Second, it was built for beautiful women. One of four wives of the great vizier Sidi Mussa lived there. He wanted to make a splendid gift to his first beloved wife, the most luxurious and stunning palace in the country built specially for her. The architects were working on each room for more than a year. The palace was growing together with the number of wives in the harem of the wealthy vizier. Finally, when the building process had been finished, the first wife moved to the magnificent accommodation together with three other wives and 24 concubines. The architects had to extend the palace to incorporate the preferences of every woman. The size of the residential buildings in the Palais de la Bahia is incredible, more than 8 hectares.

Third, the palace is rather young, it was created in 1880. The builders took all the traditions and rules of eastern palaces into consideration. An old legend says that you should keep all your possessions to yourself and not show it to strangers to avoid jealousy. The palace follows this belief: it’s not that remarkable outside and incredibly beautiful inside. It boasts the traditional mosaics with gemstones, the cedar doors, the delicate painting on the walls and ceiling.

The palace turned out to be so outstanding that even the sultan was envious. The beauty of the Bahia Palace had outstripped all the other palaces in the country. That is why, in 1900, after the vizier’s death the sultan commanded to rob that jewelry box because nothing was allowed to be better than the sultan’s palaces.