Dar Si Said Museum

Dar Si Said was built in the late nineteenth century for the brother of Ba Ahmed, the chamberlain who built the Bahia palace next door, and it is the smaller and better building of the two - a riad with courtyards, a fountain, and on the upper floor a reception room whose painted and carved cedar cupola is among the finest surviving pieces of that craft in the city. It was reorganised in 2018 as the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets, and the collection is now focused: carpets and textiles from the main weaving regions, with the differences between High Atlas, Middle Atlas, Haouz and Saharan traditions set out properly - knot, wool, dye, pattern and function - which is the sort of explanation that is hard to get anywhere else and makes shopping in the souks afterwards a different exercise. The building and the collection reinforce each other rather than competing.

What you actually see

• A painted cedar cupola - among the best surviving examples of the craft in Marrakech.
• Regional weaving explained - High Atlas, Middle Atlas, Haouz and Saharan traditions distinguished.
• A late nineteenth-century riad - built for the brother of the Bahia's builder.
• A focused collection - reorganised in 2018 around textiles rather than mixed decorative arts.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. Closed on some public holidays.

Honest expectations

Entry is charged separately from the Bahia next door. Labelling is in Arabic and French with limited English. The building is small and the route is short. Coach groups arrive mid-morning.

Nearby

The Bahia palace is adjacent; Maison Tiskiwin is a short walk.