Saadian Tombs

This guide to the Saadian Tombs in Marrakesh traces Ahmad al-Mansur, the Saadian dynasty's wealthiest ruler, who built himself a burial chamber of Italian marble columns and gilded cedar ceilings meant never to be forgotten. It follows his rival successor, the Alaouite sultan Moulay Ismail, who had the chamber sealed rather than destroy a single tombstone inside. Notice the single narrow passage in from the mosque beside you — for nearly two centuries, it was the only way anyone could get in.