Rabat Royal Palace 1

Since the reign of sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah, the Alaouite sultans and kings have maintained a palace in Rabat.[1] The current building was built in 1864, to replace the older palace, by Mohammed IV. Morocco had been formerly under the control of the French since 1912, and they wanted the sultan to be largely stationed in one place, near their own administrative headquarters, in order to show his acceptance of the new regime.

Although kings had many residences at their disposal, when independence was declared in 1955, they chose to keep the Dâr-al-Makhzen palace as the main palace of the monarch.

Some monarchs, particularly Mohammed V, preferred the smaller and relatively secluded palace of Dar es Salaam, further out of centre of the city, maintaining the Dâr-al-Makhzen as their official and administrative residence.Read more