Musee Dar Si Said (Museum of Moroccan Arts), Marrakech

The Museum of Moroccan Arts is a 19th-century palace turned museum that offers visitors a rich blend of architectural elegance and Moroccan artistic heritage. Its story begins with its original use as a private residence: the building was constructed between 1894 and 1900 for the minister of defence. Under the French Protectorate, the palace was converted in 1932 into a museum devoted to Moroccan native crafts, with a particular emphasis on woodwork. Following independence and later restorations, it reopened in 2018 as the “National Museum of Weaving and Carpets.”

Architecturally, the building is a highlight in its own right. It reflects the decorative richness of late-19th-century Moroccan domestic design, featuring carved cedar-wood ceilings, geometric tilework, intricate plaster decoration, courtyard fountains, and a multi-level layout.

The museum’s collections draw from Marrakech and southern Morocco, showcasing a wide variety of traditional arts. Exhibits include carved wooden elements such as lintels, corbels, and doors, as well as domestic furnishings like chests, mirrors, and bridal objects. Visitors will also find jewellery, ceramics, weapons, carpets, and textiles.

One of the most remarkable pieces is a 10th-century marble basin from al-Andalus, the region of medieval Arab-ruled Spain and Portugal. Before its donation to the museum, the basin was used in a mosque, despite its carved imagery of eagles and griffins — motifs that typically conflict with Islamic restrictions on depicting living beings.

Compared to the street bustle of the medina, the museum offers a calmer interior space where you can appreciate craftsmanship in a historic house.