Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts

The Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts occupies a restored funduq, or merchants' inn, on Place Nejjarine in Fès el-Bali, Morocco. The building dates from the 18th century in the Alaouite period and served as lodging for traders and storage for their goods, with the square in front named after the carpenters (nejjarin) who worked nearby. The square is also home to the Nejjarine Fountain, a richly tiled public fountain that is among the most photographed in the medina. After decades of decline, the funduq was restored in the 1990s by the Moroccan authorities with support from international partners and opened as a museum in 1998. It has since served as a showcase for woodworking traditions of Fès and Morocco. The interior is organised around a central courtyard with three levels of galleries, carved cedar doors and balconies, painted ceilings and stucco work. The displays include carved doors and window frames, furniture, musical instruments, carpenters' tools, chests, and objects of daily life such as cradles and wedding furniture, many in cedar, walnut and thuya. Exhibits are arranged thematically by type of object and technique rather than chronologically. The upper floors show how merchants lived and traded, and the rooftop terrace has a cafe with views over the medina and the green-tiled roof of the nearby Moulay Idriss shrine. Admission is about 20 MAD, and the museum is open daily from around 10:00 to 17:00. The museum is small enough to see in under an hour and combines easily with a walk through the neighbouring craft souks, including the carpenters' and brassworkers' lanes.