From Bahia Palace it is a short hop to the nearby Badi Palace, however it takes a bit to find the entrance. As we follow the walls we notice guards on the parapats, they are storks actually, quite cool. Especially as by now they are mostly gone from Europe for the winter so it is great to see them here.
Badi Palace, the Palace of Wonder/Brilliance, is probably the oldest from the palaces we have seen in Marrakesh. It was constructed at the end of the 16th century. It was a major enterprise with artisans brought in from Europe and other foreign countries to help with the building and decorating of the palace. On the western and eastern side were two main pavilions which are still standing and quite impressive.
Another major feature of the palace are the four sunken gardens. After the palace was abandoned they were forgotten but they have been excavated since after being rediscovered in modern times. They were arranged symmetrically in the courtyard for a beautiful contrast and are interesting to see, we hope we can see the whole arrangement from above.
We continue exploring the courtyard and entering into the ruins on each side of the courtyard. The pavilion on the northern side contained some residential quarters, possibly for foreign ambassadors.
Another major feature is the large pool, the centerpiece of the courtyard. It has been discovered also by ducks, water in the desert is rare so of course they decided to settle here. The view from the eastern end of the pool over the surviving pavilion is quite grand and we can see how it must have looked when everything was still standing, it really was a special place.
We continue exploring each side carefully, there are interesting ruins on all sides, and there are even surviving mosaics on the floors of some rooms.
Near the entrance there are stairs to climb to the top of the walls for a great view of the courtyard and complex. It is beautiful even now and we can look out from the walls over Marrakesh, a nice view really.
We can also see the entrance from here and that is where we are going next as we finish the exploration. We have one more stop planned, very near at the Saadian Tombs, we hope there is more shade there as we are quite sun-stricken after the walk through the shadeless courtyard.
