Moroccan Pavilion Putrajaya

Welcome, travelers, to a truly unexpected architectural treasure hidden within the lush greenery of the Putrajaya Botanical Gardens: the Moroccan Pavilion. As you approach this intricately adorned complex, you might briefly feel…

We begin at the Grand Entrance. Stop here and take a moment to closely examine the walls flanking the heavy wooden doors. …

Having passed through the entrance, we now stand in the first major open space: the King's Court. Your gaze is immediately drawn upward from the colorful tiled floors to the stark white, incredibly textured walls above. …

As we move through the shaded corridors connecting the courtyards, I urge you to look up. Do not miss the spectacular wooden ceilings above you. …

We now enter the most breathtaking space in the complex: the Granada Court. If you feel a sudden sense of déjà vu, it is because this courtyard is a lovingly crafted homage to the most famous space in the Alhambra of Spain: the…

Step close to the walls under the shaded arcade of the Granada Court and focus your attention on the bands of writing carved into the stucco and wood. In Western architecture, writing on a building is usually purely informative. …

As we step out of the heavy, ornate doors of the pavilion and back into the bright light of the Putrajaya Botanical Gardens, turn around and observe the building in its broader context. The Moroccan Pavilion does not exist in a…

Our exploration of the Moroccan Pavilion concludes here at the edge of the botanical gardens. We have journeyed through a portal that briefly transported us from the high-tech administrative capital of Malaysia to the ancient,…