Mansour Eddahbi - Luxury hotel - Mansour Eddahbi

“The Victorious” (al-Mansur) and “The Golden” (Eddahbi) where monikers for the sixth sultan of the Saadi dynasty, from whom Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi takes its name.

In an era marked by the loss of Al-Andalus, the sultan’s reign began in 1578 with a victory at the battle of Wadi al-Makhāzin (“Battle of the Three Kings”) and the payment of a large ransom by Portugal to recover their captured soldiers. The young sultan immediately became Ahmed al-Mansur Eddahbi and would remain so until his death in 1603.

El Badi Palace (the “Incomparable Palace”)—built with the same ransom for hosting celebrations and official audiences—represents the rebirth of Morocco and its capital, Marrakech, on a world stage that was dominated by the Spanish Empire on one side and the Ottoman Empire on the other.

Ahmed al-Mansur is particularly known for modernizing the army, establishing a centralized political system, proactive diplomacy, constructing bridges and numerous buildings, promoting the arts, patronizing religious works, extending the southern salt and gold routes to Gao, Djenne, and Timbuktu, as well as the developing the word’s the first sugar industry. The sultan’s reputation was known throughout Europe’s courts, reaching as far as Constantinople.

The names of some buildings at Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi are inspired by the great sultan’s reign. Lalla Messaouda was his mother’s name, a figure who was known for her piety, commitment to the poor, and love of the arts. Abou Faris, Mamoun, and Zidane refer to his sons who would succeed as leaders of the dynasty: Abou Faris Abdallah (1603–1608), Mohammed esh-Sheikh el-Mamoun (1608–1613), and Zaidan en-Nasr (1613–1627).

The name, Mahdi, pays homage to Ahmad al-Mansur’s great ambition toward the end of his reign—an Anglo-Moroccan alliance against Spain to conquer the Americas!

His plan to colonize the Spanish West Indies, in addition to the promise of great wealth, took on a religious dimension. The sultan wished to extend Islam across the Atlantic, and to await the Mahdi, the last messenger of God on Earth, who would return to restore faith and justice.

The name, Manso, is taken from the sultan’s nickname, “Victorious”. Saray, a word of Persian origin meaning “palace” and frequently associated with the most beautiful buildings in the Muslim world such as the Topkapi Palace, is a subtle nod to the exquisite El Badi Palace, which was inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada.