Chefchaouen Ethnographic Museum (Kasbah)

The Chefchaouen Ethnographic Museum is housed inside the Kasbah on Place Uta el-Hammam, in the heart of the medina of Chefchaouen in the Rif mountains of northern Morocco. The kasbah was built after the town's founding in 1471 by Moulay Ali ben Rachid el-Alami as a stronghold against the Portuguese, and later received Andalusian refugees whose culture shaped the region. The museum occupies rooms of the fortress around an Andalusian-style garden courtyard. Its collections cover the traditional life of the Rif and Jebala regions: weapons and armour, musical instruments, embroidered costumes, jewellery, ceramics, woodwork, manuscripts, and tools used in weaving and farming. The displays are mostly thematic, grouped by craft and use, and some rooms recreate domestic spaces. Visitors can also see the former prison cells within the kasbah and climb the octagonal tower for views of the blue-washed medina and surrounding mountains. The building is a late 15th-century military structure adapted to cultural use, with crenellated walls, thick masonry and an interior of shaded rooms. It has been restored in several campaigns, and the garden and walls are in good condition, though the museum itself is small and the labelling modest. The museum is best seen as part of a visit to the kasbah, giving context to the crafts, clothing and weapons of the region. It is a short walk from the Grand Mosque and cafes of the plaza, making it an easy stop in the town centre.