Kasbah Museum (Dar el-Makhzen)

The Kasbah Museum occupies Dar el-Makhzen, the former governor's palace on Place de la Kasbah at the highest point of the old city of Tangier in northern Morocco. The palace dates from the late 17th century, after Sultan Moulay Ismail's forces took Tangier from the English in 1684, and it housed governors and sultans' representatives for generations. It was converted into a museum of Moroccan arts and antiquities in the early 20th century and has since been reorganised and renovated. The collections combine archaeology and decorative arts. The archaeological galleries show prehistoric finds from the Tangier peninsula and caves near Cape Spartel, Phoenician and Punic objects, and Roman material, including mosaics and sculpture from sites such as Volubilis and other Roman towns of Mauretania Tingitana. The ethnographic and decorative arts rooms display Moroccan carpets, ceramics, jewellery, weapons, manuscripts and woodwork, and the palace rooms themselves are exhibits, with carved cedar ceilings and tiled floors. The presentation is largely thematic, grouping objects by region, material and period rather than following a single chronological route. Two courtyards anchor the visit, one with a patio fountain and a second Andalusian garden. Restoration campaigns have repaired roofs, plaster and tiled surfaces, and the museum has been updated with modern labelling, though some rooms can be closed for works. The building is in generally good condition. A visit provides a succinct overview of the history of the Tangier region from prehistory through the Islamic period, within a setting that is an important monument in its own right.