The Saadian tombs in Marrakech date back from the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The tombs were only recently discovered (in 1917) and were restored by the Beaux-arts service. The tombs have, because of the beauty of their decoration, been a major attraction for visitors of Marrakech.

The mausoleum comprises the corpses of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty that originated in the valley of the Draa River. Among the graves are those of Ahmad al-Mansur and his family. The building is composed of three rooms. The most famous is the room with the twelve columns. This room contains the grave of the son of the sultan's son Ahmad al-Mansur. The stele is in finely worked cedar wood and stucco work. The monuments are made of Italian Carrara marble.

Outside the building is a garden and the graves of soldiers and servants.

[edit] Photo gallery

[edit] See also

• Saadi Dynasty
• Marrakech
• Ben Youssef Medrassa
• Shrob ou shouf fountain
• El Badi Palace
• Pavilion in the Menara gardens

[edit] External links

• Marrakech, A Descriptive Guide to the Imperial Red City http://www.marrakeshguide.com/files/saadiantombs.htm (retrieved on 25 November 2006)
• Archaeomagnetic intensity data from the Saadien Tombs (Marrakesh, Morocco), late C16th AD, the time of Ahmad al-Mansur http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU06/00935/EGU06-J-00935.pdf