Marrakech is filled with palaces, some of which we tourists cannot tour (for example, the royal residence just around the corner from our riad) and others of which we are urged to tour. But Dan and I didn’t want to spend a whole day touring historical structures. After all, there was delicious Moroccan food to eat, and beautiful rugs to buy, and whole neighborhoods to explore.

What to do? We asked our host Laurent which palace, if he had to pick only one, we should go see.

“Bahia Palace,” he said. “It is the most beautiful.”

Intended to be one of the most glorious palaces in the world when it was built in the late nineteenth century, the Bahia Palace today is a well preserved avatar of the Moroccan and Islamic styles of its time. We entered through a beautiful garden that was already indicative of the fine craftsmanship within.

Inside, it was hard to know where to look first. Every ceiling was a work of art.

And not just ceilings. Doorways, columns, floors, fireplaces… It was hard to know where to look first.

A fountain graced the center of a tranquil courtyard.

At the end of the tour, we returned to the garden, where we met some of the palace’s current residents. They seemed to be very happy to be living in such a peaceful spot.