The palace of Hajj Ahmed, the bey or ruler of Constantine from 1826, is one of the finest Ottoman-era buildings in the country. With a series of courtyards surrounded by tiled arcades, it is filled with gardens of palm and orange trees, and decorated with Tunisian and French tiles and murals depicting Ahmed's pilgrimage to Mecca.
Ahmed’s enjoyment of this wonderful place was short-lived. Two years after he moved in, the French chased him out and turned the palace into their headquarters and with independence the Algerian military moved in and set up camp.