© Andrew Junev

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© Beach&Beyond Travels

Dâr-al-Makhzen is the primary and official residence of the king of Morocco. The current building was built in 1864, to replace the older palace. Morocco had been formerly under the control of the French since 1912, and they wanted the sultan to be largely stationed in one place, near their own administrative headquarters, in order to show his acceptance of the new regime. The sultan chose the French architects Louis-Paul Pertuzio and Félix-Joseph Pertuzio to design the palace, and Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier to design the extensive palace gardens

Although kings had many residences at their disposal, when independence was declared in 1956, they chose to keep the Dâr-al-Makhzen palace as the main palace of the monarch.Some monarchs, particularly Muhammad V, preferred the smaller and relatively secluded palace of Dar es Salaam, further out of centre of the city, maintaining the Dâr-al-Makhzen as their official and administrative residence

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Bab Soufara (The Gate of Ambassadors leading to the premises of Royal Palace)

The common Touarga, with an area of about 1

km ² is fully enclosed in the

city of Rabat, including the royal palace Dar al-Makhzen, the mosque Ahl Fas, Méchouar

(esplanade) Essaïd, the

Department of Prime Minister

and the Ministry of Endowments

and Islamic Affairs. 

Closed to the public, the Royal

Palace is actually a part of

the enclosed space called Dar

Al Makhzen.

Bab Soufara (porte des

Ambassadeurs).

Besides the Royal Palace and the Ahl Fez Mosque, the fortified walls contain the royal college, a school for senior members of the royal family, a cookery school, and a ground floor library built to contain the manuscript collection of Hassan II, several government buildings, the barracks of the Black Guard, and housing for over 2,000 people.

The mechouar (the large parade

ground) also contain a small

mosque:Masjid Ahl-Fes

18th century where the King

leads prayers on Fridays

As well as living space for the king and the royal family, there is accommodation for the Moroccan Royal Guard

There are extensive gardens and grounds surrounding the palace, which were designed with French formality, traditional Arabic motifs and local horticulture in mind

Yellow Bells, Trumpet Flower 'Gold Star' (Tecoma Stans)

Yellow Bells, Trumpet Flower 'Gold Star' (Tecoma Stans)

Plumbago auriculata (common names blue plumbago, Cape plumbago or Cape leadwort)

Nerium oleander in flower

Royal Palace Rabat©Bernard Gagnon

Royal Palace Rabat©Bernard Gagnon

The palace sits at the end of the mechouar, a large parade ground also containing a small mosque. The mechouar is used for large public assemblies, such as the return from exile of Muhammad V in 1955

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Sanda Negruțiu InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuhttps://plus.google.com/+SandaMichaela

Sound: Moroccan music 2016