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Morocco is a wonderful place to visit if you like culture. There’s always something to spark your curiosity in Marrakech, Fes, Meknes, and Chefchaouen. They offer distinct customs, ample artwork, and tempting lodgings in traditional riads. There are intriguing places to visit with literary associations, as well as many gorgeous architectures. Explore the many museums in Morocco in our article to learn more about the nation and view a variety of items.
Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rabat
The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI) was opened by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in October 2014. It is one of the first museums in Morocco dedicated solely to modern and contemporary art. Also, the first public institution in Morocco to satisfy international museums standards. The museum’s architecture is inextricably related to the city of Rabat. The structure was out of a desire to blend into the urban fabric of the capital. The latter’s architecture is both defined by a distinct identity and a rich cultural mix.
As a result, a conceptual approach was established that aimed to harmonize the processes of contemporary creativity with the absorbed secular legacy. His Majesty King Mohammed VI has proposed the establishment of a museum devoted to modern and contemporary artistic creativity. The provision of high-level cultural amenities to the nation is part of the royal strategy. The establishment of Morocco’s first national museum of modern and contemporary art is a significant historical act with a clear goal: to create the conditions for the preservation and dissemination of our artistic heritage, while also encouraging creativity and working toward democratization and cultural development.
Modern and contemporary art, which was previously mostly financed by private institutions in our nation, is now being well controlled, and at a high level, by the public sector, which serves the public interest.
Museum of Moroccan Judaism, Casablanca
The magnificent home that presently houses the museum was previously a Jewish orphanage and was built in 1948. It served this purpose until the late 1970s. Morocco had the highest Jewish population of any Arab nation. Casablanca had about 70,000 Jewish inhabitants in the 1960s. In 1997, the same year the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris opened, a cultural space was established where Jews and Muslims could connect, as well as this Ethnographic Museum, which emphasizes Moroccan Jewish culture in Fez, Essaouira, and Marrakech, where Moroccans came to work. In the Arab world, there are no other museums devoted to Jewish culture like the one in Morocco.
The discovery of wonderful Moroccan Jewish handicrafts is accompanied by the chirping of birds in the nearby gardens. It is a very pleasant part of the visit! 19th-century silver bracelets and fibulae, as well as pendants, amulets, and anklets Dolls dressed in Judeo-Moroccan garb, are shown in a showcase. Sacred art takes up a bigger area, which includes Megillah cases, Thoras with their mantles embroidered with gold thread, and synagogue furnishings. A lovely needlework of Azemmour from the seventeenth century is also on display. A part includes has Tebahs from old synagogues, as well as wooden reading platforms where the rabbi officiates. A lovely collection of artifacts to explore in a relaxing environment.
Dar-el-Makhzen Museum, Tangier
Dar el Makhzen was erected in 1684 by Sultan Moulay Ismail shortly after the exit of English forces from Tangier. It functioned as the seat of the Sultan’s envoy under the protectorate, as well as the judiciary and the treasury.
This museum takes you on a trip through history to give you a sense of Moroccan prehistory. Also, it provides a spectacular display of the many civilizations that shaped the city: Greek, Roman, Phoenician, Berber, and Arab.
All of the wealth derived from the compulsory levies was kept in Dar el Makhzen’s treasury room. There you will find a safe closed by an ingenious system of the time. You have the right to request that it be opened so that you can learn how this mechanism, which can only be opened by a single person, works. The terrace, which served as a court of honor, is located in the heart of Dar el Makhzen.
Dar El Makhzen has welcomed notable people from the city’s golden age. In fact, the most important diplomatic decisions were made in Tangier, on its patio since its inception. The Pasha of Tangier also formally welcomed Delacroix.
Once inside, a spectacular Andalusian garden greets you, surrounded by arches painted with ceramics from Moroccan master artisans. In addition to a fascinating spot that will transport you to the period of the sultans, with a small museum.
This museum, Dar el Makhzen, also serves as an exhibition hall, displaying all of Tangier’s known history. During your time in Tangier, you should pay a visit to this historical site.
Museum of Amazigh Heritage, Agadir
The Amazigh Heritage Museum is one of the museums in Morocco that is devoted to the area of Souss-Massa-cultural Draa’s heritage. Through its exhibits and different conferences, it chronicles the history of the Berber people. The museum opened on February 29, 2000, a significant date since it was 40 years ago that the city was devastated by a terrible earthquake that changed the country’s history. It has a total area of more than 1000m2. Some artifacts from the Amazigh civilization may be found. There are around 900 antique objects on display, including traditional hand-woven carpets, clothing, ceramics, ethnic jewelry, handicrafts, and manuscripts from the 16th century, among others.
This project is the result of a partnership between the city of Agadir, which initiated it, and a team of French muséographers as well as a group of young people who are passionate about the region’s history and customs. In 1995, the city purchased a private collection of Berber jewelry, which included 932 pieces, 227 of which are now on display in the museum’s galleries, as well as several other Souss-Massa-Drâa symbols. One of the main goals set forward by the Museum of Amazigh Heritage in Agadir is to promote traditional Moroccan artisanal crafts. The site also aspires to contribute to the preservation of local knowledge and to raise awareness of artisanal and artistic creation among youth.
Museum of Marrakech, Marrakech
The Marrakech Museum is housed in a historic palace where Mehdi Mnebhi, Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz’s former military minister, formerly lived. The palace was constructed in the late 1800s.
The museum has been located in this building since 1997, when the Omar Benjelloun Foundation, which also owns the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Almoravid Qoubba, bought it for rehabilitation. The palace had previously served as a residence and, in the 1960s, as a girls’ school.
The museum’s major attraction is its inner courtyard (look for the huge chandelier) and the rooms that surround it. The museum’s collection, which consists mostly of ceramics, weapons, rugs, and other typical Moroccan artifacts, is presented in these rooms. There is also a traditional Hammam and a temporary display area within the structure.
The Bert Flint Museum, Marrakech
The Bert Flint Museum lies near the Dar Si Said Museum. It is on one of the pathways between the Mellah and Jemaa El Fna Square. It has a great collection of artifacts from the Sahara area, including Morocco, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Bert Flint’s devotion led to the creation of the Bert Flint Museum (Tiskiwin). This Dutchman grew interested in Spanish Muslim culture after studying art history. In 1954, he traveled to Morocco after exploring and traveling across the globe.
In 1957, he chose to reside in Marrakech after falling in love with the Moroccan way of life. His interest and curiosity were piqued as a result of his absorption in Moroccan life. He grew fascinated by the visual and aural representations of rural life in Morocco. With time, he started to explore the intimate ties that existed between Morocco, the Sahara, and Africa. His passion for this rural culture, as well as his studies, led to the establishment of the Tiskiwin Museum.
Sidi Mohamed Ben-Abdellah Museum, Essaouira
The Sidi Mohamed Ben-Abdallah Museum, located in the heart of Essaouira’s medina near the Seqala, one of the city’s most emblematic historical sites, is the ideal place to learn about the vibrant and fascinating history of Mogador-Essaouira. It is a city-world rich in the addition of the great Roman, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Amazigh, Jewish, and Arab civilizations, and which continues to serve as a high place of cultural mixing.
This exhibition space, which first opened its doors on October 20, 1980, on the occasion of the first music festival, has as its main vocation to translate and present the landscape and cultural wealth of the region of Essaouira, and to do so through the presentation of a collection related to various themes of the material and immaterial heritage of which this city and its surroundings are abound.
This collection was hand-picked to highlight the city’s ethnic variety while also tracing the city’s historic past. The city’s historic riches are matched by its remarkable ecological potential, as shown by its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 14, 2001.
Cinema Museum, Ouarzazate
On the occasion of Throne Day, July 30, 2007, the Ouarzazate Cinema Museum opened its doors. It was erected in 1981 by Italian film production firms on the site of a former film studio. The location, which covers 2 hectares, is made up of several film sets that have become cult-like in relation to the Bible’s history.
This museum, which is located opposite the Taourirte Kasbah and next to the Ouarzazate Craft Complex, represents the municipality’s goal to make Ouarzazate a major film production center in Morocco.
The Cinema Museum examines the history of cinema in Ouarzazate. Also, the outstanding films that have been filmed there from this viewpoint.
Nejjarine Museum, Fes
The Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts is worth a visit for many reasons. First, the building itself, an ancient fondouk that has been beautifully restored, as seen by the two massive balances put up in the inner courtyard. The numerous types of wood utilized and farmed in Morocco, particularly the cedar root/loupe, are shown on the first level. Then there are the carpenter’s, joiner’s, cabinetmaker’s, and marker’s tools. Even though they may not date back centuries, the things on the show are of great quality.
Borj Nord Museum, Fes
Borj Nord was a Saadian fort erected north of Fes El Bali during Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour’s rule in 1582.
It was one of the city’s biggest observation stations, inspired by the architecture of Portuguese fortifications from the 16th century.
The Arms Museum is now housed at the Borj Nord. The weapons on exhibit range in age from prehistoric to modern times, and are arranged chronologically, from stone axes to cannons, as well as weaponry of various sorts and nationalities.
Axes, halberds, spades, spears, sabres, swords, Iranian helmets, saddles with their adornment, rifles, pistols, revolvers, and cannons of various sorts are among the items on display.
The collections of Museums we provided represent the most beautiful and popular ones in Morocco. Still, there are museums that are not mentioned here that deserve to be visited such as the Morocco National 4X4 Auto Museum in Merzouga owned by an Emirati.
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