Moarrakesh, Morocco - February 2004; Marrakaesh's history goes back over 100 years, to its foundation in 1070 by Emir Abu Bakr ibn Umar as the imperial capital of the Almoravid Empire. El Badi Palaceis one of its landmarks. Commissioned by the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of the Saadian dynasty a few months after his accession in 1578, its construction and embellishment continued throughout most of his reign. But it fell into ruin at the end of the Saadian Dynasty. But its ruins have an eerie beauty - as seen here, at sunset.