About
In 1917, the Department of Arts and Historic Buildings discovered this funerary complex.
The access to Mausoleum was through a door from the adjacent Kasbah mosque.
The Saadian Mausoleum is a collection of the tombs of sultans and Royal family members.
The Saadians are related to Halima Al-Saadia, the nurse of the Holy Prophet of Islam.
The Saadian tomb contains 60 graves. And the first person buried there was the founder of the Saadian empire.
Sultan Ahmed Al-Mansour made many expansions and decorations work.
He was also buried there with his father, mother, and brother.
The Sultan Moulay Ismail Al-Alawi (1672-1727) destroyed the achievements of Sultan Ahmed Al-Mansour.
He ruined the El Badi Palace in Marrakech. Even though it was one of the most beautiful palaces in the world.
This was perhaps jealousy, and awareness of his inability to build such a monument.
Stories told that the fear of a curse stopped him from demolishing these graves.
How are the Saadians?
The Saadian state was born among many harassing enemies.
It fought for its survival against the Wattasid, Portuguese, Spanish, and Ottoman Turks.
The new regime managed to repel them all. And then it penetrated, during the era of Ahmed El-Mansour, to the countries of West Africa.
In 1619, the Saadians invaded the Empire of Songhai in West Africa. The Saadians controlled then the desert trade routes and the gold mines in those areas.
![Saadian Empire Map]()
Saadian Empire Map
The state reached its political climax during the reign of Ahmad Mansour (1578-1603).
He secured the country's prosperity by controlling the country's economy.
He also created, during his reign, a new management system called the Makhzen.
Besides, Ahmad Mansour is the one who built El Badi Palace.
After the year 1603 AD, the kingdom was divided and started the stage of regression.
In 1659, the last Saadian sultan got killed in Marrakesh.
The power over Morocco got transferred to the hands of the actual Alawi family.
The Architecture of the Saadian Mausoleum
The Saadian Tombs Mausoleum consists of two sides.
The first side consists of three halls
The first is the prayer hall.
The hall has the mihrab of pryer and three additional rooms.
It contains a group of tombs dating back to the eighteenth century.
You can also see here a marvelous pentagon skylight.
The second is the central hall.
Known as the twelve columns. It is one of the most beautiful parts of this place. It is four groups of three marble columns.
An elegant dome surmounts the hall. The dome consists of a gorgeous carved wooden ceiling and contains many motifs.
This hall includes the tomb of Sultan Ahmed Al-Mansour, the grave of his son Zidan and others.
The third is the skylight hall.
This hall contains three skylights.
Elaborate ceilings of juniper wood covered the hall.
It includes four tombs. The tomb of Sultan Abdullah Al-Ghalib and his father, Muhammad Sheikh.
The second side
A large hall covered with a ceiling of juniper and has two balconies.
Outside the Mausoleum
![Saadian Tombs Garden]()
Saadian Tombs Garden
There is a large garden that includes a group of tombs.
These tombs have distinctive touches, decorations, and unique inscriptions.
Entree Time And Fee To Saadians Tombs
The Saadian Tombs are open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
The entry to the Saadian Tombs costs 70 Moroccan dirhams.
Our trick
Go early in the morning to avoid long waiting queues.
![long queue - Saadian Tombs]()
Long Queue - Saadian Tombs
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