Sultan Ahmed al-Mansour, the Saadian who built El Badi, prepared an afterlife to match: a garden necropolis of carved cedar, Carrara marble and gilded muqarnas beside the Kasbah mosque. When the next dynasty took power, it walled the entrance rather than destroy a sacred site — and the tombs slept, forgotten, until a 1917 aerial survey revealed them. They reopened essentially as the 16th century left them.
The masterpiece is the Chamber of the Twelve Columns — al-Mansour’s own room, where Italian marble pillars carry a cedar dome that ranks among the summits of Moroccan craft. Around it lie some sixty princes and retainers under zellij; queue discipline matters, because the chamber is admired from its doorway, a few visitors at a time.
Go at opening or shortly before closing — mid-morning coaches create the day’s only queue — and give it 30–40 minutes including the garden’s resident cats. It sits minutes from El Badi and the Bahia: the three together are the classic dynastic morning our licensed guides thread with the stories the stones assume you know.
Key facts
- Necropolis of the Saadian dynasty (16th–17th c.)
- Sealed for ~250 years; rediscovered by aerial survey in 1917
- Chamber of the Twelve Columns — the craft masterpiece
- Allow 30–40 min; go at opening to beat the queue
- Entry ticket paid on site (modest — check current rate)
Good to know
The famous chamber is viewed from its threshold — patience at the doorway is part of the visit. Combine with El Badi and the Bahia for the full Saadian morning.
Questions travellers ask
Is Marrakech worth visiting?+
Yes — with the right expectations. It delivers spectacle like nowhere else in Morocco: Jemaa el-Fna at dusk, the souk labyrinth, palaces and gardens, the Atlas an hour away. It is also intense: touts, heat and noise are part of the package. Two to three days is the sweet spot, ideally as the gateway to the mountains or the desert rather than the whole trip.
Can you wear shorts in Marrakech?+
You can — tourists do, and knee-length shorts raise no issues in the main areas. That said, light long trousers or skirts are both cooler in the sun and more comfortable deep in the medina, where dress runs conservative. For mosque visits and rural villages, covered knees and shoulders are the respectful standard.
What is Marrakech famous for?+
Jemaa el-Fna square and its nightly food-stall theatre, the souks, the Koutoubia minaret, the Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs, the Majorelle and Menara gardens — and its role as the classic base for the High Atlas, Essaouira and the desert routes south.
What is Marrakech known for?+
The Red City is Morocco's sensory capital: Jemaa el-Fna square and its nightly food theatre, the labyrinth of souks, palaces like the Bahia, the Koutoubia minaret, the Majorelle Garden — and its role as gateway to the Atlas mountains and the Sahara routes. It is also Africa's events capital, hosting everything from film festivals to GITEX. Most Morocco journeys start, end or pivot here — ours have since 2011.
More answers in the “Marrakech” chapter of our Travel FAQ →
