Saadian Tombs and El Badi Palace: The Kasbah Quarter Guide

The Saadian Tombs Marrakech are a 16th-century royal necropolis in the Kasbah quarter, rediscovered in 1917, with the finest Saadian stucco and marble in Morocco. They open daily around 9:00–17:00 and cost roughly 100 MAD for foreign adults. El Badi Palace, the ruined Saadian palace a 5-minute walk away, has similar hours and prices; together they make an easy 2–3 hour visit.

The Saadians in a nutshell

The Saadian dynasty ruled Morocco from the early 16th to the mid-17th century and made Marrakech its capital. Their high point came with Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour (reigned 1578–1603), who grew rich after the Battle of the Three Kings in 1578 and from the trans-Saharan trade in gold and sugar. He poured that wealth into two projects we still visit today: a huge reception palace, El Badi, and a family mausoleum next to the Kasbah Mosque.

When the Alaouite Sultan Moulay Ismail took power, he stripped El Badi for materials to build his new capital at Meknes, a job that reportedly took over a decade. He did not destroy the tombs, but he walled them off. They stayed hidden until French aerial surveys spotted them in 1917.

The Saadian Tombs: what to see

You enter through a narrow corridor beside the Kasbah Mosque into a small garden full of graves of lesser family members, soldiers and servants. Two main buildings hold the royal tombs.

The Chamber of the Twelve Columns

This is the famous one: Ahmed al-Mansour's burial hall, with twelve Carrara marble columns, a carved cedar dome and walls of intricate stucco. Visitors cannot go inside; you look through a doorway, which is why there is a queue. It moves steadily, usually 10–30 minutes, but can reach 45 minutes in April and October at mid-morning.

The Prayer Hall and the older mausoleum

The first room you reach, the prayer hall, holds tombs of Alaouite princes added later. The second building, with the tomb of al-Mansour's mother, Lalla Messaouda, is smaller but less crowded and has a lovely stucco niche.

El Badi Palace: the incomparable ruin

"El Badi" roughly translates as "the incomparable". Built from 1578 over some 25 years, it was a vast ceremonial palace with a central courtyard of about 135 by 110 metres, sunken gardens and huge pools. Today you walk through the bare rammed-earth walls, which is a very different experience from the richly decorated Bahia.

• The sunken gardens: orange trees planted where the original beds were.
• The storks: dozens of white storks nest on the walls, especially from February to July.
• The rooftop terrace: climb up for one of the best views of the medina and, in winter, the snow-capped Atlas.
• The Koutoubia minbar: a 12th-century carved pulpit made in Córdoba, displayed in a side pavilion.
• Underground passages: former storerooms and prison cells you can partially explore.

Tickets, hours and time needed

Prices have gone up in the last two years, so treat these as approximate and bring cash in dirhams. Hours shorten during Ramadan (often around 10:00–16:00). Buy only at the official ticket window.

How to walk the Kasbah quarter

Both sites sit in the Kasbah, the old royal district south of the Koutoubia. Here is the route we use most:

1. Start at Bab Agnaou, the carved 12th-century Almohad gate, about 15–20 minutes' walk from Jemaa el-Fna.
2. Walk straight to the Kasbah Mosque and follow the signs down the small lane on its left to the Saadian Tombs.
3. Exit and head east along Rue de la Kasbah and Rue Berrima to Place des Ferblantiers, around 5–7 minutes.
4. Enter El Badi from the lane beside the square.
5. Finish with lunch on a rooftop overlooking the stork nests, or continue north to the Bahia Palace.

For more on that last stop, see our Bahia Palace visitor guide. If you want to understand how the Kasbah connects to the rest of the old town, our explainer on the medina's neighbourhoods helps.

Bab Agnaou and the Kasbah Mosque

Do not rush past the approach. Bab Agnaou, built in the 1180s under the Almohads, is one of the few medina gates in carved blue-grey Gueliz stone rather than rammed earth, with a Kufic inscription arching over the opening. Just inside, the Kasbah Mosque (also known as the Moulay El Yazid Mosque) dates from the same period; its green-tiled minaret with sebka lattice work is easy to photograph from the square in front. Non-Muslims cannot enter the mosque, but the square around it has small cafés and juice sellers, handy while you wait for the tombs to open.

When to go

• Saadian Tombs: be at the door just before 9:00, or come after 15:30.
• El Badi: late afternoon gives warmer light on the walls and fewer people; in summer, go early, as the courtyard gets very hot.
• Season: March to May brings nesting storks and flowering orange trees; December and January give the clearest Atlas views from the terrace.

Practical tips from our guides

• Men around Bab Agnaou may say the tombs are "closed today" and offer to take you elsewhere. Walk on and check for yourself.
• Photos are allowed without flash. The Twelve Columns doorway is crowded, so be patient and take turns.
• El Badi has uneven ground and steep stairs to the terrace; wear closed shoes.
• There are few cafés inside either site, so carry water.

Quick FAQ

Are the Saadian Tombs worth the queue?

For most people yes: the Twelve Columns chamber is one of the finest interiors in Morocco. Arriving at opening time usually means little or no wait.

Can you visit the Saadian Tombs and El Badi in one morning?

Easily. They are about 5–7 minutes apart on foot; allow 2–3 hours for both with a coffee break.

Is El Badi Palace just ruins?

Mostly, yes, but the scale, the storks, the rooftop view and the Koutoubia minbar make it well worth an hour.

See the Kasbah with us

Both monuments feature on our guided Palaces and Gardens tour of Marrakech, around 4 hours, from €40 per person, with free pickup from your riad or hotel. Our licensed guides time the Saadian Tombs to avoid the longest queue and bring the Saadian story to life. Have a look at all our Marrakech city tours, then send us a WhatsApp to book; there is no online payment in advance.