Maison Tiskiwin

Bert Flint, a Dutch anthropologist and art historian, came to Morocco in the 1950s and spent the rest of his life collecting material culture from the south and from across the Sahara - textiles, jewellery, carpets, musical instruments, leather, wood and household objects - and he arranged his house in Marrakech as a museum organised geographically: the rooms follow the caravan route from Marrakech through the Anti-Atlas, the Draa, the Tafilalt and the Sahara to Timbuktu, so the exhibits trace the continuity and the differences along the route rather than sitting in categories. That framing is the argument of the place, that these are connected cultures rather than separate ones. He donated the collection to the university and it remains in the house. Labelling is handwritten in French and the presentation is dense and old-fashioned, which suits it.

Highlights

• A route, not a taxonomy - rooms following the caravan road from Marrakech to Timbuktu.
• Saharan material culture - textiles, jewellery, instruments and household objects along the way.
• One collector's lifetime - assembled by Bert Flint from the 1950s and donated to the university.
• Handwritten labels - dense, French, and part of the character.

When to go

October to April. An hour or two.

Things to know

Labelling is in French and Arabic, and dense. The presentation is old-fashioned and crowded. The house is small and stairs are narrow. Entry is charged.

Nearby

Dar Si Said and the Bahia palace are both a short walk.

Key facts