Bab Mansour, Imperial gate at Place el-Hedim, Meknes, Morocco.
Bab Mansour is a monumental city gate at Place el-Hedim in Meknes, decorated with large columns on both sides of the main entrance and featuring intricate green and blue mosaic tiles across its facade. The gate forms an imposing opening with richly decorated surfaces that make it the square's most dominant feature.
Sultan Moulay Ismail began construction of this monumental gate, which his son Moulay Abdallah finished in 1732 as an entrance to the royal palace. The building took place during a period when the city was being expanded and reshaped as an imperial residence.
The Arabic inscriptions at the top of the gate express power through poetry written from the structure's own perspective. These words speak of rulership and grandeur and become part of what visitors naturally notice as they walk across the square.
The main entrance is closed to visitors, but you can access exhibitions inside through a smaller passage on the side. It helps to arrive early in the day to avoid crowds and see the mosaic details more clearly in better light.
The marble columns decorating the entrance were transported from the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis, blending Roman history with Moroccan design. These columns came from one of the region's major archaeological sites and add an extra layer of historical depth to the gate.
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