Museum of Moroccan Arts and Antiquities

The Kasbah Palace, also known as Dar al-Makhzen, Sultan's Palace or Governor's Palace and formerly as the Sharifian Palace, is a historical building and museum in the Kasbah or citadel of Tangier, Morocco. Its site has long been the main seat of political power in Tangier. The current structure was built in the early 18th century as the residence of the city's governor and home for the Sultan of Morocco when staying in the city, for example Hassan I in 1889. It has been repurposed as a museum since 1922, named the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Cultures since renovation in 2016, with the Kasbah Museum Contemporary Art Space added in late 2021.

History

The edifice was built during the reign of sultan Moulay Ismail in the early 18th century over the ruins of the English "Upper Castle".. For more up-to-date extensive coverage of the Tangier Kasbah, the Place de la Kasbah specifically, the Dar al-Makhzen zone, Dar Zero, and other adjacent features in this area, see for instance Martin Malcolm Elbl, ''Portuguese Tangier (1471-1662): Colonial Urban Fabric as Cross-Cultural Skeleton'' (Toronto / Peterborough: Baywolf Press, 2013), preceding publications and data such as Martin Malcolm Elbl, "Tangier's Qasba Before the Trace Italienne Citadel of 1558-1566: The 'Virtual' Archaeology of a Vanished Islamic and Portuguese Fortress," ''Portuguese Studies Review'' 17 (2) (2009): 1-45, and various subsequent publications, such as Martin Malcolm Elbl, "Tangier’s ''Domus Praefecti'' (Governor’s House) and Ceuta’s ''Paços Reais'' / ''Paço Velho'' (''Palacio Viejo''): 3D-Modelling Vanished Prestige Dwellings and Cross-Cultural Symbols of Governance," in Martin Malcolm Elbl, ed., ''Encounters in Borderlands: Portugal, Ceuta, and the 'Other Shore (Toronto / Peterborough: Baywolf Press, 2019), 177-242, or most recently, Martin Malcolm Elbl, “ ‘Tunnels Below’ (Dar Zero ~ Tangier): Urban Myths, a German ‘Baron’ from Maryland, and a Very Real Portuguese Citadel," ''Portuguese Studies Review'' 30 (1) (2022): 199-239. The publications (in English) supply abundant references to secondary sources in English, Portuguese, French, and other languages, references to archival documents and primary sources, and references to indispensable graduate theses by diverse scholars. Transcripts of unpublished documents are available in these works, as are many maps, diagrams, and photographs. The large body of data entirely supersedes the 1936 "Tangier" article, clarifies the 'Upper Castle' issue, and addresses numerous other relevant points, setting the Kasbah Palace in very detailed long-run context. Most of the relevant items are accessible on academia.edu (consulted 29 May 2023). See https://utoronto.academia.edu/MartinMalcolmElbl It was constructed by Pasha Ahmad ben Ali al-Rifi, general of the Jaysh al-Rifi and semi-autonomous governor of Tangiers.

In 1922, French scholar initiated the structure's transformation into a museum. It was comprehensively renovated in the early 2010s and reopened in 2016.

Description

The building is situated in the eastern part of the Kasbah, on one of the highest points of the city overlooking the medina and the Strait of Gibraltar. It is centered within two courtyards, which are decorated with wooden ceilings, marble fountains and arabesques. The elegant marble capitals of the columns in the main courtyard were most likely imported from Italy at the time of construction in the mid-18th century. Dependencies facing the Kasbah's Mechouar include a former Bayt al-mal or treasury, created in the late 18th century, and prisons.

Museum of Mediterranean Cultures

The former reception spaces and living quarters are now used by the Museum of Mediterranean Cultures (), displaying works of art from all over Morocco, amongst which are firearms decorated with marquetry, carpets, silks from Fez, and manuscripts. The Museum of Antiquities now occupies the former kitchen. It houses finds from ancient Roman sites as Lixus, Cotta and Volubilis, as well as life-size Carthaginian tomb and finds from the Tangier region from prehistory until the Middle Ages.

The museum's Contemporary Art Space opened in late 2021 in the palace's former prison facing the Mechouar, which had remained in use until the early 1970s.

Gallery

File:Morocco Tangier Tribunal.jpg, Former tribunal (left) and treasury (right) outside the Kasbah Palace
File:La Kasbah de Tanger 01.jpg, Museum entrance
File:Kasbah Museum of Tangier 17092021 001.jpg, Roman mosaic
File:Tangier city museum 9.jpg, Doorway
File:Kasbah de Tanger 6.jpg, Wooden ceiling
File:Kasbah Museum Gardens (39030131300).jpg, Palace garden

See also

* Kasbah Mosque (Tangier)
* Dar Batha
* List of Moroccan royal residences

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dar El Makhzen, Tangier
History museums in Morocco
Buildings and structures in Tangier
Palaces in Morocco
Tourist attractions in Tangier
Arab art scene
'Alawi architecture