The Saadian Tombs

This richly decorated necropolis, which is the burial place for members of the Saadian Dynasty, was fortunately spared by Sultan Moulay Ismail.

"I arrived at first light in the garden of rose bushes, palm trees and wild grasses. Surrounded by adobe walls, it provides a peaceful setting for the tombs. I imagined that I was one of the French archaeologists who rediscovered the monument in 1917. I would love to have experienced that feeling: that of breaking down the door walled up in the 17th century by an Alaouite sultan who dared not be the first to knock it down and penetrate this necropolis where hundreds of tombs and two mausoleums lay untouched, suspended in time. The saga of the dynasty founded by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur is frozen in this succession of rooms decorated with gold and Italian marble. Treason, murder and passion...it's enough to make you wonder about the daily lives of these aristocrats, all of whom led highly unusual lives."

Aurélien Junot, 51, historian, Stuttgart