Dar al-Makhzen Royal Palace - Rabat, Morocco

Dar al-Makzhen was located just a few blocks away from our hotel, Hotel Belere. Built in 1864, the palace is situated on Avenue Mohammed V in the Touarga commune of Rabat. Visiting the Palace was free (and was included as part of our prepackaged tour of Morocco). It is a large complex where visitors are able to view a variety of fountains and landscaping. However, tours of the actual palace are not permitted.

The front of the palace has several guard stations. We had the benefit of a tour guide, who was able to provide some background on the palace and the palace guard. Although the current King, Mohammed VI, does not reside here, the strict security measures remain in place. In the photo above, there is a man in a white djellaba robe to to the right of the guards. The men in the white djellaba were described to us as descendants of the Black Guard who once served as the Moroccan Royal Guard. The descendants of these sub-Saharan Africans (who were brought to Morocco in the early eighteenth century by the Alaouite sultan, Moulay Ismail), continue to work as servants at the palace. We saw a few groups traveling together inside the compound from one area to another.

The guard wearing the red uniform is the current Moroccan Royal Guard. We saw these guards at a few of the important government installations we visited, although they number just 6,000. They include mounted guard, who serve at either entrance to the mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat. The other officials include the Gendarme and police from local agencies.

The compound includes a large parade grounds, cannons, fountains and a mosque. Below are some photos taken at the palace to provide visual context.

All photos are my own. They may be reproduced with prior permission.