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List of Moroccan royal residences

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Royal Palace of Rabat has been the principal official residence of the Moroccan monarchy since 1912

The King of Morocco currently has at least one residence in each of the country's principal cities, sometimes going back to ancient times. They are often referred to as Dar el-Makhzen, lit.'House of the Makhzen' using the Moroccan term for the monarchical institution.

Palaces

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The royal palaces are owned and maintained of the Moroccan state, and made available to the King and his family:[1]

Private residences

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Other royal residences, unlike the above-listed palaces, are privately owned by the royal family:

  • The "Royal Farm" (Mazraâ Malakia) of Bouznika was created by Hassan II, who often resided there in his later years;[8]
  • As of the early 2020s, the king was reported to often stay at his residences in Salé near Rabat, Anfa and Tamaris near Casablanca, and Al Hoceima and M'diq on the Mediterranean coast;[1]
  • Other residences are at the Douiyet farm near Fez and in Midelt, Nador, Oujda, and Safi;[1]
  • A former residence of Mohammed V in Oualidia is now in a state of disrepair.[1]

Former properties

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In pre-Protectorate Morocco, the governor's mansion in places other than the Imperial cities could also be known as Dar El-Makhzen as they were symbols of the monarchy, and the monarch would typically stay there on occasional visits. For example, the Kasbah Palace in Tangier is still often referred to as Dar El-Makhzen even though it was never a permanent residence of the sultan or king.[9]

The ruins of the 16th-century El Badi Palace in the Kasbah of Marrakesh are open to the public. The late-19th-century Dar Batha palace in Fez, adjacent to Dar el-Beida and originally part of the same complex, was repurposed as a museum in 1915. Dar Soltane [fr] (lit.'the Sultan's palace') in Safi was converted into administrative offices under the protectorate and has hosted Morocco's National Ceramics Museum since 1990. Another former property also known as Dar Es-Sultan in Essaouira is now in ruined condition.[10]

The Abdelhafid Palace in Tangier is a rare case of a former ruling family property that has passed into foreign hands. It was built but never used by former Sultan Abdelhafid following his abdication in 1912. It was seized by the protectorate authorities in 1918 and purchased by Italy in 1927, and is therefore also known as the Palace of Italian Institutions.[11]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Hafid El Jaï (7 January 2023). "Palais royaux : les joyaux de la couronne". LeBrief.ma.
  2. ^ "Royal Palace". Infos Tourisme Maroc.
  3. ^ "Ifrane, Imperial Garden City of the Middle Atlas". Eric Ross, Academic.
  4. ^ "Le système des palais". Forum FAR-Maroc. 2008.
  5. ^ Nadia Lamlili (11 August 2015). "Palais de Skhirat au Maroc : Hassan II, un roi miraculé". Jeune Afrique.
  6. ^ Jean-Luc Vautravers (15 May 2009). "Le roi Mohammed VI à Agadir - Le Palais royal grâce à Google Earth". Le Jardin aux Etoiles.
  7. ^ Juan Ramón Roca (19 August 2018). "Tánger, regreso al futuro". El País.
  8. ^ Majdouline ElAtouabi (23 September 2005). "Les Palais du Roi". Maroc Hebdo.
  9. ^ "Dar el Makhzen in the Kasbah of Tangier". Morocco.com.
  10. ^ "Dar Sultan (Soltane), The White house". Essaouira.
  11. ^ Francesco Tamburini (2006), "Le Istituzioni Italiane di Tangeri (1926-1956)", Africa: Rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione dell'Istituto italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente, 61:3/4, Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente (IsIAO): 396–434, JSTOR 40761867