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Located in an old palace, the museum of Dar Si Saïd is entirely dedicated to the Moroccan craft industry of wood, gathering a very beautiful collection of popular art: carpets, clothing, costumes, weapons, jewelry from the south of Morocco, oil lamps, pottery, and ceramics… These objects are rather regional, coming from Marrakech and the south of the country, particularly from Tensift, Souss, the High Atlas, the Anti Atlas, Bani, and Tafilalt.

Si Saïd B. Moussa, who was the minister of war under the regency of his brother Ba Hmad, built at the end of the XIXth century a large palatial residence for his personal use. After the death of Si Saïd in 1900, the house had known several assignments, and around the year 1914, the French protectorate made it the residence of the successive chiefs of the area of Marrakech. It is only in 1932 that the residence of Si Saïd was arranged to become a museum. Its name by the way means “house of Mister Saïd “.

At the entry of the museum, one finds the rectangular fountain made of stones, which comes from the Medersa of Ben Youssef. This fountain shows a design that is rather unusual in Islamic art: two eagles spreading their wings, as the representation of alive beings is normally prohibited in Islam. After the entry, one finds many long corridors which end in rooms inserted between the patios of both Riads. On the right side, one enters the patio of the small Riad with its two floors and many annexes; on the other wing, one reaches the large Riad, with its four rooms and one floor.

The museum of Dar Si Saïd is open all week long except on Tuesdays, from 9 a.m. to midday, and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.. The entry’s price is only 10 Dirhams.