Saadian Tombs

This room is known as the Chamber of Lalla Mas’uda. It is the oldest part of the Saadian Tombs and was built in the sixteenth century over the grave of Muhammad al Sheikh, founder of the Saadian dynasty. Later, other members of the family were buried here, including Lalla Mas’uda, his wife and the mother of Sultan Ahmad al Mansur, and their son Moulay Abdallah al Ghalib. 

The chamber is a small square, about four meters on each side. Above you is a vaulted ceiling covered with muqarnas, a honeycomb like sculpted plaster that still keeps traces of blue and gold paint. The upper walls are filled with carved stucco in floral and geometric patterns, while the lower walls and the floor are covered with zellij tiles arranged in star shapes. Between these zones run bands of Arabic calligraphy in both plaster and tile. 

On one side of the room there is a niche that looks similar to a prayer niche. Inside this niche lies the tomb of Lalla Mas’uda. The marble panel beside her grave carries a long dedicatory inscription. It is one of the best preserved carved inscriptions in the whole necropolis, thanks to the wooden shutters that protected it for centuries. 

This chamber brings together two key elements of the site: the earliest royal burials of the Saadian family and a concentrated example of sixteenth century Moroccan decoration in stucco, wood, and tile.