Dar el Bacha () is a palace located in the old

medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...

of Marrakesh,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

History

Built in 1910, the Dar el Bacha, which means "house of the pasha", was the residence of

Thami El Glaoui Thami El Glaoui ( ar, التهامي الكلاوي; 1879–23 January 1956) was the Pasha of Marrakesh from 1912 to 1956. His family name was el Mezouari, from a title given an ancestor by Ismail Ibn Sharif in 1700, while El Glaoui refers to hi ...

, who was given the title of

pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitar ...

(roughly "governor" or other high official) of Marrakech by the Sultan Moulay Youssef in 1912. For years he was the most powerful political figure of the Moroccan south under French rule. He built his private palace on a lavish scale to impress guests. Some illustrious guests who visited Dar el Bacha include

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

, Maurice Ravel, Charlie Chaplin,

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

among others. The palace was renovated by the Fondation nationale des musées (FNM) of Morocco and converted into a museum known as the ''Dar El Bacha – Musée des Confluences''. It was inaugurated by

Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Upon ascending to the throne, Moh ...

on 9 July 2017. File:Dar el Bacha (cropped) ETH-BIB-Marrakesch-Tschadseeflug 1930-31.jpg, Dar el Bacha grounds in the early 1930s: the main palace structure is off-frame to the left, but the large gardens and its pavilions are visible (mid-frame) File:File d'attente devant l'entrée du palais sap04 10l01854 p.jpg, Local men lining up to be received inside Pasha Glaoui's palace, in a 1924 photo (palace gate visible in the middle)

Description

Dar el Bacha represents a beautiful example of

Moroccan architecture Moroccan architecture refers to the architecture characteristic of Morocco throughout its history and up to modern times. The country's diverse geography and long history, marked by successive waves of settlers through both migration and military ...

, with fountains and orange trees in the central courtyard, traditional seating areas, and a

hammam A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the Islamic culture, culture of the Muslim world and ...

. In addition to traditional Moroccan features, the palace also demonstrates influences of European architecture and was one of the earliest palaces in Marrakesh to feature ostentatious decoration on its exterior. Several of the original interior design features have been maintained and restored, including the carved and painted cedar wood doors, black and white checkered marble floors, ceilings covered in colorful

zellij ''Zellij'' ( ar, الزليج, translit=zillīj; also spelled zillij or zellige) is a style of mosaic tilework made from individually hand-chiseled tile pieces. The pieces were typically of different colours and fitted together to form various pa ...

mosaics and columns painted with natural pigments such as

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent in ...

and

poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug o ...

. The museum also holds temporary exhibits highlighting the different facets of Moroccan culture, as well as various art objects from different cultures across the world. In 2018, one of its exhibits focused on displaying objects from places of worship in all three monotheistic religions (

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, and Islam). File:Dar El Bacha Thami EL Glaoui.jpg, View of an interior riad garden/courtyard in the palace File:Marrakesh - Dar el Bacha - 20190913170643.jpeg, Carved stucco decoration inside the palace File:Marrakesh - Dar el Bacha - 20190913172806.jpeg, Painted and sculpted wood ceiling over one of the halls

Coffee house

A revival of the palace's refined ''art de vivre'', Bacha Coffee Room & Boutique is located in the museum courtyard.

References

{{Marrakesh Museums in Morocco Tourist attractions in Marrakesh Buildings and structures completed in 1910 Palaces in Marrakesh 'Alawi architecture

History

Description

Coffee house

See also

References