The Mechouar was the royal palace of the Zayyanid dynasty, who ruled Tlemcen from 1235 until the Spanish conquest in 1554. Most of the medieval palace was demolished or absorbed into a French military barracks, but a reconstruction since 2010 has restored much of its layout — a walled enclosure with the royal mosque, the audience hall, and gardens — using surviving foundations and historical drawings.
The result is a working museum of Zayyanid architecture: zellij tiled walls, carved plaster panels, and timber muqarnas ceilings. The Mechouar Mosque, dating from the thirteenth century, is the only original survival inside the complex. A small archaeological museum is housed within the palace. Allow ninety minutes.