Museum of Marrakech

Museum in the center of Marrakech. Located near the Ben Youssef religious school, which was built at the end of the nineteenth century by Mahdi Menbha. The palace was restored carefully by Omar Benjelloun Foundation and converted into a museum in 1997. Home in itself represents the traditional architecture museum, includes both modern and traditional arts along with Moroccan art, historical books, pottery, coins Moroccan.
Access to the Museum of Marrakech is often through alleys twisted that may be released from your Jemaa El Fna square, with its surroundings of Antiques Antique adjacent in place and close to each other in terms of cultural richness and content of civilization, such as Palace Okvai and Dar Bllarg School, Ben Youssef on After steps. As Marrakech dome Fathfr floor to connect the city's historical depth red awaiting tourists took them to the old city exploits families Governor successive rule of Morocco were built from the silos and palaces and Almarstanat, and spread in the surrounding geographies military victories and finished buildings bear witness to the greatness of a prosperous past. The date Palace Almenbha, who became today bears the name «Museum of Marrakech, to the nineteenth century, and was built by Mahdi Almenbha, Defense Minister Prince Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz (1894 - 1908). The Almenbha may work beginning in 1901 as ambassador of Morocco to Germany and England, before driving in 1903, through repeated attempts, campaigns store (ruling) against rebellious «Bouhmarh», but failing in his mission lost his stature and Hzute the Sultan, and while leaving Marrakech in the direction of Tangier, where he died in 1941, ownership will turn the palace into a brother-in-law Thami Glaoui famous Pasha of Marrakech. After the independence of Morocco, in 1956, will turn the palace into the ownership of the Moroccan state, which will host the first school for girls in Marrakech.
But the palace, in the absence to take care of it, lose Tohjh, to close its doors for many years, until the moment came converted into a museum.
And characterize Palace Almenbha that was built on the pattern of urban buildings Moroccan on an area of ​​2000 square meters, and was four rooms arranged around an open courtyard, as well as that he was a hammam and orbicularis and a stable.
The main courtyard of the palace, originally, open space includes trees fruitful organized around room four, including two rooms Mottagabeltan, while the various forms of earthenware and plaster and wood reflect the authenticity and charm architecture Moroccan Khalis, a forms become today, attracts the attention of visitors, where forgotten them for hours Car noise Street Glaze and bustle of the Jemaa El Fna Square.
However converted the palace into a museum, open courtyards were covered and decorated Bthreya large weighing 1200 kg.
And prefer to convert back Palace Almenbha to Marrakech Museum to Omar Benjelloun, owner of Ben Jelloun, who was loving to collectors of manuscripts and rare books, jewelry, coins, paintings and others.
And the work of Ben Jelloun, in 1996, an agreement with the Ministry of Culture, the restoration Palace Almenbha and converted into a museum gave him the name of Marrakech, restored from which many of the artistic and cultural movement to the heart of the old city.
Not only did Ben Jelloun restored Palace Almenbha and converted into a museum, but signed with the Ministry of Culture, in 1999, an agreement under which restoration «dome Almoravid», dating back to the twelfth century, and school Ben Youssef, dating back to the sixteenth century.
If the hammam dating part of the secrets of the houses and palaces and residences of Morocco in the above from the date of the country, the orbicularis characterized as palace kitchens. The museum in the shape and geometry of the lobby, a cafe and a library open to the door spearheaded marble plaque commemorating the opening date of the museum, with a picture discloses the inside of splendor and beauty, patterns and colors.
As first steps, at the entrance to the museum directly, facing the visitor is in French says: «culture, music ... All things that provide us with something of happiness, just as Voltaire said: I decided to be happy because that's a good thing for our physical and mental health. After that the visitor finds himself obsessed with dating Equestrian Arabic, through a traditional rifle and a traditional saddle with gold and silver threads dating to the end of the nineteenth century, it would be like preparing for hours of wandering between the details of museum exhibits and splendor of the place. And even takes full Visitor chance in combining Bahaa watch and the content of what is being offered suggests Jad dadat special tariff, which recognizes the history and form of each color technician before. In fact, the Museum of Marrakech, before the space to display artifacts, is originally The reality, gallery independent in itself, where  with decoration and colors take us to a culture known ring maker traditional Moroccan art, and arguably panel painted Hitana  and wood during the nineteenth century.
Said Mohammed al-Hasnawi, one of the officials from the Museum of Marrakech, told «Middle East» The vast majority of visitors to the museum are foreigners, pointing out that «the proportion Moroccans who visit the museum does not infringe one per cent, the Arabs, the percentage does not exceed one per thousand, mostly Algerian or Tunisian. The irony, he says Hasnawi that «MREs, who visit the museum, doing it the suggestion of foreign residents the Diaspora, who have previously visited Morocco, who often turn to confessors Moroccan culture for Moroccans living abroad, who can hardly familiarity with some of the historical memory of their country.
Hasnawi noted that some Moroccan private schools became propose visits to her students, makes us in the process of a new understanding based on artistic taste and breeding care to visit museums. Hasnawi believes that the low percentage of Moroccans who visit museums and cultural facilities and historical monuments is a cultural problem rather than physical. «Vamora which comes to visit Marrakech weekends and during holidays, for example, may spend 50 dirhams for cafe seating, without thinking of visiting a museum cost only twenty dirhams. He stopped Hasnawi much at how to address foreign with what displays in the museum, saying: «Some may spend hours wandering inside the museum, so that some of them standing in front of a panel or a masterpiece more than a quarter of an hour without tired than watching or transmitted eyes to form last technician.
Traditionally Marrakech Museum organizes temporary exhibitions on two main axes of Contemporary Art and the Moroccan Islamic cultural heritage. It shows often with specific topics include works and masterpieces of group Omar Benjelloun Foundation and public and private collections, as well as contemporary artists creations.