El Badi Palace

Sultan Ahmad al-Mansour built this palace in 1578 to celebrate his victory over the Portuguese at the Battle of the Three Kings. Funded by Portuguese ransom money and sugar trade profits, it was lavished with Italian marble, Sudanese gold, and Irish oak. Ambassadors described it as the most beautiful palace in the world. A century later, Moulay Ismail stripped it of every precious material to build his own capital in Meknes. What remains are the colossal walls, sunken gardens, and a reflecting pool that still convey the scale of Saadian ambition.