The Royal Palace or Dar al-Makhzen (, ber, ⵜⴰⴷⴰⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵎⴿⵣⵏ) is the primary and official residence of the king of Morocco in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

. It is situated in the commune of .

History

The

Alawi Alawi ( ar, علوي), also transliterated as Alevi, Alevi, Alavi, Alawid, or Alawite (french: Alaouite), is an adjective denoting "of or related to Ali", the Prophet Muhammad's cousin. As a proper noun it is used by individuals, dynasties, place ...

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

s and kings have maintained a palace in Rabat since the 18th-century reign of sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah, who used Rabat as one of his imperial residences and renovated royal palaces in other cities. The current building was built in 1864 by Mohammed IV to replace the older palace. When most of Morocco came under French control in 1912, the colonial administration 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. Although kings had many residences at their disposal, when independence was declared in 1955, they chose to keep the Dar al-Makhzen palace as the main palace of the monarch. Some monarchs, particularly Mohammed V, preferred the smaller and relatively secluded palace of Dar es-Salaam, further out of centre of the city, maintaining the Dar al-Makhzen as their official and administrative residence. Several important events in the lives of a number of Moroccan royals have taken place in the palace, including the birth of Hassan II in 1929 and the marriage ceremony of Mohammed VI and

Salma Bennani ''Lalla (title), Lalla'' Salma (born Salma Bennani, ar, سلمى بناني, 10 May 1978) is the princess consort of Morocco. She is married to Mohammed VI of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, and the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publ ...

in 2002.

Design and construction

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 Mohammed V in 1955. As well as living space for the king and the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

, there is accommodation for the Moroccan Royal Guard. The palace complex also contains the Collège Royal, 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. There are extensive gardens and grounds surrounding the palace, the design of which was influenced by French formality, traditional Arabic motifs and local horticulture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dar-al-Makhzen, Rabat 1860s architecture 1912 establishments in Morocco Palaces in Morocco Royal residences in Morocco Buildings and structures in Rabat 'Alawi architecture 20th-century architecture in Morocco

History

Design and construction

See also

References