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If you like culture, Morocco is a must-see destination. In Marrakech, Fes, Meknes, and Chefchaouen, there’s always something to pique your interest. They provide different cultures, a plethora of artwork, and enticing accommodations in traditional riads. There are interesting literary organizations to visit, as well as numerous beautiful structures. In this post, we will look at the various museums in Morocco to learn more about the country and see a range of objects.
Rabat’s Mohammed VI Morocco Museums of Modern and Contemporary Art:
His Majesty King Mohammed VI inaugurated the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI) in October 2014. It is one of Morocco’s first museums devoted completely to modern and contemporary art. In addition, it is Morocco’s first public institution to meet international museum standards. The architecture of the museum is intrinsically linked to Rabat. The construction was designed to integrate with the capital’s urban character. The latter’s architecture is distinguished by a particular personality as well as a diverse cultural mix.
As a consequence, a conceptual framework was developed with the goal of harmonizing current creative processes with the absorbed secular past. His Majesty King Mohammed VI has requested that a museum dedicated to modern and current creative innovation be established. The royal policy includes providing high-level cultural facilities to the country. The creation of Morocco’s first national museum of modern and contemporary art is a significant historical act with a clear goal: to create 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 sponsored mostly by private institutions in our country, is now properly supervised and at a high level by the public sector, which serves the public interest.
Morocco Judaism Museum, Casablanca:
The majestic structure that now houses the museum was erected in 1948 as a Jewish orphanage. This was its function until the late 1970s. Morocco had the most Jewish people of any Arab country. In the 1960s, Casablanca had around 70,000 Jewish residents. In 1997, the same year that the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris opened, a cultural space for Jews and Muslims to communicate was formed, as was this Ethnographic Museum, which stresses Moroccan Jewish culture in Fez, Essaouira, and Marrakech, where Moroccans came to work. There are no other museums dedicated to Jewish culture in the Arab world like the one in Morocco.
The singing of birds in the neighboring gardens complements the discovery of outstanding Moroccan Jewish handicrafts. It’s a really enjoyable portion of the trip! Silver bracelets and fibulae from the nineteenth century, as well as pendants, amulets, anklets Dolls dressed in Judeo-Moroccan attire, are shown in an exhibition. Sacred art takes up more space, including Megillah cabinets, Thoras with gold-embroidered mantles, and synagogue furniture. Azemmour embroidery from the seventeenth century is also on show. There are Tebahs from antique synagogues as well as wooden reading platforms where the rabbi officiates. A fascinating collection of antiquities to examine in a tranquil setting.
Tangier’s Dar-el-Makhzen Museums in Morocco:
Dar el Makhzen was built in 1684 by Sultan Moulay Ismail, soon after English soldiers left Tangier. Under the protectorate, it housed the Sultan’s ambassador, as well as the courts and the treasury.
This museum transports you through time to offer you a taste of Moroccan antiquity. It also showcases the different cultures that influenced the city, including Greek, Roman, Phoenician, Berber, and Arab.
The income gained from the obligatory taxes was held in the treasury chamber of Dar el Makhzen. Inside is a safe there, secured by a clever time-keeping mechanism. You have the right to ask for it to be opened so you may understand how this mechanism, which can only be opened by one person, works. The terrace, which functioned as a court of honor, is centrally placed in Dar el Makhzen.
Dar El Makhzen has hosted famous figures from the city’s golden era. Since Tangier’s foundation, the most significant diplomatic decisions have been taken on its terrace. Tangier’s Pasha also officially greeted Delacroix.
Once inside, you’ll be greeted by a stunning Andalusian garden encircled by arches adorned with Moroccan master artists’ ceramics. In addition to a wonderful location that transports you to the time of the Sultans, there is a tiny museum.
Dar el Makhzen Museum also functions as an exhibition hall, showcasing all of Tangier’s known history. This historical site should be seen during your stay in Tangier.
Agadir Museum of Amazigh Heritage:
The Amazigh Legacy Museum is one of Morocco’s museums dedicated to the heritage of the Souss-Massa-cultural Draa. It highlights the history of the Berber people via displays and various seminars. The museum opened on February 29, 2000, an important anniversary since the city was ravaged by a catastrophic earthquake 40 years earlier, changing the country’s history. It covers an area of more than 1000m2. Artifacts from the Amazigh culture may be discovered. Around 900 historic pieces are on show, including hand-woven carpets, textiles, pottery, ethnic jewelry, handicrafts, and manuscripts from the 16th century, among other things.
This project is the product of a collaboration between the city of Agadir, which spearheaded it, a team of French muséographers, and a group of young people who are interested in the region’s history and traditions. The city bought a private collection of Berber jewelry in 1995, including 932 pieces, 227 of which are currently on exhibit at the museum’s galleries, as well as various other Souss-Massa-Drâa emblems. The Museum of Amazigh Heritage in Agadir’s principal purpose is to showcase traditional Moroccan artisanal goods. The site also hopes to help the preservation of local knowledge and to enhance young understanding of artisanal and creative creativity.
Marrakech Museums in Morocco, Marrakech:
The Marrakech Museum is situated in a historic palace that had held Mehdi Mnebhi, Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz’s former military minister. The palace was built in the late 1800s.
The museum has been housed in this building since 1997 when it was purchased for repair by the Omar Benjelloun Foundation, which also owns the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Almoravid Qoubba. Previously, the palace was used as a house and, in the 1960s, as a girls’ school.
The main draw of the museum is its inner courtyard (look for the massive chandelier) and the rooms that surround it. These halls house the museum’s collection, which comprises mostly pottery, weaponry, carpets, and other traditional Moroccan antiquities. Within the building, there is also a traditional Hammam and temporary exhibition space.
Marrakech’s Bert Flint Museum:
The Bert Flint Museum in Morocco is located next to the Dar Si Said Museum. It is located on one of the paths connecting the Mellah and Jemaa El Fna Square. It features a fantastic collection of Saharan antiques from Morocco, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Bert Flint’s passion resulted in the establishment of the Bert Flint Museum (Tiskiwin). After studying art history, this Dutchman became interested in Spanish Muslim culture. After researching and visiting the world, he went to Morocco in 1954.
He opted to live in Marrakech in 1957 after falling in love with the Moroccan way of life. His curiosity and attention were sparked as a consequence of his immersion in Moroccan life. He became attracted by the visual and audio portrayals of Moroccan rural life. With time, he began to investigate the close relationships that existed between Morocco, the Sahara, and Africa. His interest in this rural culture, together with his research, resulted in the development of the Tiskiwin Museum.
Essaouira’s Sidi Mohamed Ben-Abdellah Museum:
The Sidi Mohamed Ben-Abdallah Museum, situated in the center of Essaouira’s medina beside the Seqala, one of the city’s most iconic historical buildings, is a great spot to learn about Mogador-rich Essaouira’s intriguing past. It is a city-world that has been enriched by the inclusion of the great Roman, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Amazigh, Jewish, and Arab civilizations, and it continues to be a hotbed of cultural mingling.
This exhibition space, which first opened its doors on October 20, 1980, on the occasion of the first music festival, has as its main mission to translate and present the landscape and cultural wealth of the Essaouira region, 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 abound.
This collection was hand-picked to showcase the city’s ethnic diversity while also tracking the city’s history. As shown by its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 14, 2001, the city’s historic richness is matched by its exceptional ecological potential.
Ouarzazate Cinema Museum:
The Ouarzazate Cinema Museum opened its doors on Throne Day, July 30, 2007. It was built on the site of a previous film studio in 1981 by Italian film production companies. The 2-hectare site is made up of various film sets that have become cult-like in regard to the history of the Bible.
This museum, situated next to the Taourirte Kasbah and near the Ouarzazate Craft Complex, illustrates the municipality’s objective of establishing Ouarzazate as a major Moroccan film production hub.
The Film Museum in Ouarzazate explores the history of cinema. Also notable are the great films shot from this vantage point.
Fes’s Nejjarine Museum:
There are several reasons to visit the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts. First, there’s the structure itself, an antique fondouk that’s been lovingly repaired, as seen by the two giant balances installed in the inner courtyard. The first level depicts the many kinds of wood used and grown in Morocco, notably the cedar root/loupe. Then there are the tools of the carpenter, joiner, cabinetmaker, and marker. The items in the exhibition are of high quality, despite the fact that they do not date back centuries.
Fes Borj Nord Museum:
Borj Nord was a Saadian fort built north of Fes El Bali in 1582 during Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour’s reign.
It was one of the city’s largest observation posts, influenced by the style of 16th-century Portuguese fortifications.
The Borj Nord presently houses the Arms Museum. The weapons on display vary in age from ancient to current and are organized chronologically, from stone axes to cannons, as well as the armament of all types and nationalities.
Among the things on exhibit are axes, halberds, spades, spears, sabers, swords, Iranian helmets, saddles with their ornamentation, rifles, pistols, revolvers, and numerous cannons.
The Museum collections we supplied are the most attractive and popular in Morocco. Even yet, there are museums not included here that should be visited, such as the Morocco National 4X4 Auto Museum near Merzouga, which is owned by an Emirati.
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