- Address: Dar el Makhzen, Tangier, Morocco
- Working hours: for tourist groups accompanied by guides on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00, the rest of the time the palace is closed
- Cost of visiting: 10 Dhs
The snow-white and majestic palace of Dar el Makhzen, luxuriously decorated with mosaics, sculptures and decor in Arabic style, is located in the city of Tangier , in its old part called Medina. This magnificent exterior and inside palace was the residence of the sultans of Morocco , when they found themselves in Tangiers. Now it houses a museum of archeology and art of Morocco, since prehistoric times.
History of creation
The palace of Dar el-Makhzen was built in the 17th century, while the ruler of Morocco was Sultan Moulay Ismail. By his order and under the direction of the architect Ahmad Ben Ali Al-Rifi in the old part of Tangier, on the hill it was erected this famous palace. For all the years of its existence it has been restored many times, and in 1922 it began to function as a museum of archeology and Moroccan art.
What's interesting in the palace?
The distinction of the palace Dar El-Makhzen from other palaces of Morocco is the architectural feature of accounting for its construction of spatial relationships and the opening panorama. Thanks to this, the halls of the palace offer a beautiful view of the entire Medina and the Strait of Gibraltar. Dar El-Makhzen is surrounded by high and powerful battlements. The palace complex includes the Main Palace, the Green Palace, as well as the Nile Garden, galleries, patio, small outbuildings and gazebos. The magnificent halls of the palace are decorated with mosaics on the walls and floors, as well as the finest wood carvings and decorative paintings on the ceilings.
Currently, in the halls of the palace are two permanent exhibitions - the Museum of Art of Morocco and the Museum of Archeology. In the museum of art visitors are waiting for a huge collection of arts and crafts of the inhabitants of Morocco. You will see a collection of famous Rabat carpets and luxurious women's ornaments in the Spanish-Moorish style - tiaras, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, all of gold or gilt and with inlaid gems. In the museum of archeology you can get acquainted with the art of the Moroccan people from prehistoric times to the 1st century AD. The main and perhaps the most famous exhibits of the museum of archeology are the Carthaginian tomb and the Roman mosaic "The Journey of Venus".
After viewing the expositions of museums, you can stroll in the courtyard and see with your own eyes the beautiful marble fountains that have survived to this day.
How to visit Dar-el-Makhzen?
Currently, the entrance to the palace of Dar al-Makhzen is limited to visitors. You can get to it on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00 as part of a tour group with a guide who has the right to conduct excursions there. The cost of admission to the palace is 10 Dhs.
Also in Morocco , a culture week passes every year in mid-April, within which you can visit the city's attractions, including Dar El-Makhzen, absolutely free of charge. For the rest of the time, tourists who could not get inside the palace can appreciate outside the beauty of the palace square and the unique golden doors of the palace, and also admire the garden gates with their giant bronze door hammers. The white building of the palace looks luxuriously in any weather, which you can see with your own eyes, after walking 5 minutes walk to the West from Place des Nations-Unies.
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