Saadian Tombs

قبور السعديين

The royal necropolis of the 16th-century Saadian dynasty, sealed for 200 years and rediscovered in 1917. The Hall of Twelve Columns is the finest tomb architecture in Morocco.

The Saadian Tombs lie to the south of the Kasbah Mosque and are the royal burial ground of the Saadian dynasty (1549–1659). Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur built them for himself and his family at the end of the 16th century. In 1672, Moulay Ismail of the Alaouite dynasty sealed them to erase the traces of the previous dynasty. They were not rediscovered until 1917, when the French found them through aerial photography, and a narrow passage was then opened through the wall of the Kasbah Mosque for visitors. The necropolis has two tomb buildings. The main tomb's Hall of Twelve Columns is famous for its Carrara marble columns from Italy, cedar carved decoration and gilded stucco, and it holds Mansur and his successors. The three-niche hall and the second tomb next to it hold his mother and his concubines. The garden courtyard is dotted with more than 100 mosaic-covered tombs of royal family members and servants. The entry fee is MAD 70 (2024). It is open from 9:00 to 17:00, and a visit takes about 30 to 45 minutes. To see the Hall of Twelve Columns, you queue outside a narrow door and take turns, so when groups are large the wait can be 15 to 20 minutes, so arrive when the doors open at 9:00. The tombs are within a 10-minute walk of El Badi Palace and the Bahia Palace, and together with the Mellah they make a good half-day route. The Bab Agnaou (a 12th-century carved stone gate) is right next to the tomb entrance and is the most beautiful gate in the Old Town.

Saadian Tombs

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