Marrakech is home to a number of palaces. The “incomparable” Palais el-Badi was once a wonder of the Muslim world in the 1600s when it was completed. Today – and since 1683 – the palace has lain in ruins.
After having the perfect respite lunch from the bustling heat of the city at Cafe Restaurant nid’Cigogne (across from the stork nest!), we marched to the Palas el-Badi… getting a little lost along the way.
The ruined palace themselves were impressive. What I most loved about them were the angles and corners of high walls, stacked, crumbling, unfinished, doorless. The paled tiles baked in the sun… and had been for centuries. The pond in the center greened with rot.
The only respite from the sun was the orange tree grove beset in the courtyard.
