Thursday, 29 November 2012

Go Wild for Museums

Casablanca: Villa des Arts is a converted art deco (1930's) building and well worth the trip to see for the building alone.  Currently used as an exhibition space.
Villa des Arts Casablanca
Rabat: Oudaias Museum is a little gem, situated in the larger complex of Mouley Ishmail's 17th lodge and gardens.  The most interesting exhibit was the jewellery collection arranged in styles typical to various areas in Morocco.  (Sadly, no photos allowed). 
Oudaias Museum Rabat
Marrakesh: Private museum, Maison Tiskiwin (Bert Flint collection). A textile lover's heaven with some stunning examples.
Maison Tiskiwin Marrakesh
Marrakesh: Jardin Marjorelle, the former studio of French artist Jacques Marjorelle is a combination of sensory gardens, vividly painted buildings and a museum of textiles and clothing. 
Jardin Marjorelle Marrakesh
Chefchaouen: Small but interesting collection housed inside the Kasbah.  We found some rather nice samples of embroidery and costume.

Kasbah Chefchaouen
El Khorbat: Located in the Todra Valley, this amazing ksah (fortress) at Tinejdad houses an extensive Berber Museum.  It is well worth investigating if only to get lost in the maze of rooms inside the complex.  (We had lunch here and agreed that it would be a wonderful place to have stayed  - maybe next time! Info link for gite and museum.)
El Khorbat
A short but reasonable summary of Moroccan Museums that I found useful when planning our visit can be found here