Mechouar Palace

The Mechouar was the walled citadel of the Zayyanid dynasty, who ruled from Tlemcen from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century and made the city one of the intellectual centres of the western Maghreb. The circuit of walls and towers survives in the middle of the modern city, enclosing a large court. The palace inside was demolished and rebuilt in different periods, and what stands today is a substantial reconstruction completed around 2011, when Tlemcen was designated a capital of Islamic culture, built in a Zayyanid manner with a courtyard, arcades, carved plaster and tile. A mosque founded in the fourteenth century stands within the walls, though only its minaret keeps its original form.

History

The site was once a kasbah built by the Almoravid leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin in Tagrart, now part of Tlemcen, and later used by the Almohads, and Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan, founder of the Zayyanid dynasty, built the Mechouar here, leaving the old palace by the Great Mosque, tradition says, either because the minaret he had raised there looked into it or to assert his royal dignity. The complex held residences, pavilions, gardens, a mosque and a hammam, with four main palaces, three of them built by Abu Tashfin I, who reigned from 1318 to 1337, a summer residence of mudbrick and a winter one of stone, and a secret passage by which the ruler reached the mosque unseen. Of it all the defensive walls are the main survivor; one courtyard building was rebuilt over its ruins in 2010-2011, when Tlemcen was Capital of Islamic Culture (Wikipedia, El Mechouar Palace).

The main sights

• The Zayyanid walls and towers - the citadel circuit in the modern city.
• The reconstructed palace - courtyard, arcades and carved plaster.
• The fourteenth-century minaret - the original part of the mosque inside the walls.
• The central court - the open ground the citadel encloses.

When to go

March to June, then September through November. Two hours. Opening hours are set and it closes on some days. Events in the court can restrict access.

What to expect

Most of the palace is a recent reconstruction rather than historic fabric, which disappoints some visitors. Interpretation is limited. Parts are used for events and closed without notice. Photography rules vary.

Nearby

The Great Mosque is a short walk; Mansourah lies west.

Key facts