Musee Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent first came to Marrakech in 1966 and returned regularly for the rest of his life; he and Pierre Bergé bought the Majorelle garden in 1980 and saved it from development, and his ashes were scattered there. The museum opened in 2017 next door, designed by Studio KO, and the building is the first thing to look at: a brick facade laid in a pattern that the architects describe as a woven textile, in terracotta with a smooth interior in contrast, deliberately reading as fabric from outside and lining from within. Inside, a permanent hall shows a rotating selection from the archive - the foundation holds around five thousand garments and tens of thousands of accessories and drawings - hung in a darkened room, with a temporary exhibition space, a research library, a bookshop and a cafe. The selection changes, so what is on the walls depends on when you come.

What you actually see

• A woven brick facade - terracotta laid to read as textile from outside.
• A rotating archive selection - a hall drawn from five thousand garments, changing regularly.
• The Studio KO building - rough outside, smooth within, done as a deliberate contrast.
• A research library - the foundation's holdings alongside the display.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. Book online to skip the queue.

Honest expectations

The display is a rotating selection, not a fixed one - a specific piece may not be out. Queues at the joint Majorelle entrance are long in season. Entry is expensive by Moroccan standards. Photography inside the garment hall is prohibited.

Nearby

Jardin Majorelle is next door; Gueliz's galleries are a short walk.