After being lost in the souk for the entire day and buying loads of goods, we ventured into the heart of Marrakech. We bought a map from a tobacco shop and after 20 minutes of walking from the center of Medina, we arrived at the Bahia Palace.

Bahia palace with its lines

The Bahia Palace is a masterpiece of Moroccan architecture and sprawls across 8 hectares. Located in the south of the Medina. It has 150 rooms, all of them colorful and immaculate with embroidered textiles. You can be lost within the weaving yellows, blues, and whites. The land is covered with cypress, hibiscus, orange and banana trees. The gardens divide the mosques from the Hamman and the stables. When you are inside the palace seems to have no end and the walls and ceilings seem endless. A continuous optical illusion of patterns scatters across the floor and doors (which were my favorite part).

Though today only a portion of the palace’s eight hectares and 150 rooms are open to the public, there's still plenty of ornamental decor on show. While admiring the tranquil grand courtyard with its floor laid in white Carrara marble, remember this is where people waited in the sun for hours to beg for Bou Ahmed’s mercy. Bou Ahmed's four wives and 24 concubines all lived in the lavish interiors of the harem's small salons.

Bahia gardens