power and as a means to stand out from previous Moroccan rulers. The complex contained three main palaces – Dar al-Kebira, Dar al-Madrasa, and Ksar al-Mhanncha – and other features such as gardens and reservoirs. The earliest of these palaces was the Dar al-Kebira, located in the northern part of the kasbah and finished in 1679. It was adjoined by the Lalla Aouda Mosque, which Moulay Isma'il also built (or rebuilt) around this time. This palace is where Ismail's mausoleum is located. Though the palace itself was not able to withstand the centuries since its construction, the Mausoleum has been maintained to this day. Since the Kasbah was also a residence for the family of Sultan Ismail to live, the Dar al-Kebira palace also included functional services for recreation such as courtyards and rooms to entertain. The Kasbah was lavishly decorated in the style of Moroccan architecture. Though Moulay Ismail was wealthy and had put a lot of his own money into its construction, he also stole from other palaces for his palace complex, such as the 'Badi palace'. Some of the things that were plundered from the 'Badi Palace' were different types of wood, ivory and ceramic tiles. Development of the mausoleum The mausoleum is located on the southwest side of the former Dar al-Kebira Palace, in a space that was formerly between the inner and outer perimeter walls of the palace. Moulay Isma'il chose this location in part because it was already considered sanctified by the presence of the tomb of Sidi 'Abd ar-Rahman al-Majdub, a 16th-century poet and Sufi mystic. The complex was first built in 1703 under Moulay Isma'il, but was modified and expanded multiple times, in particular under his son and brief successor, Ahmad ad-Dhahabi (who ruled, with interruptions, between 1727 and 1729), who was in turn buried here afterwards. Sultan Moulay Abd ar-Rahman, who died in 1859, was also buried here later. The funerary complex was originally entered from the north, directly from the Dar al-Kebira palace. The current entrance to the south dates from the French protectorate period in the 20th century. The original complex was less extensive than it is today and its plan likely included only the tomb chamber, the adjoining rooms on either side of it, and the main courtyard leading up to it. The other courtyards and passages were thus likely added later. The mausoleum is still visited today