ORIENTALIST MUSEUM OF MARRAKECH
Marrakech Orientalist Museum, with its terrace overlooking the city's rooftops and the Atlas Mountains
The 18th century saw the birth of the attraction of European artists for the exoticism of the Orient. Prosper Merilhat, Eugène Fromentin and Dufy, among others, set out to discover these fantasies. Eugène Delacroix, for his part, was invited to join the suite of the Count of Mornay, special envoy to the Sultan Moulay Abd-er-Rahman. In the 19th century, Orientalism reached its peak: scenes of life, war, harem and landscapes were the preferred themes. The Orientalist Museum of Marrakech retraces this fertile period and devotes a room to each of these leitmotifs. Special feature: to present the objects painted in the paintings as an echo to the paintings. A text on the history of Morocco completes the whole. This museum was born under the impulse of Nabil El Mallouki (owner of the Macma). It is housed in a small jewel of a riad in the heart of the medina and its souks. The building, which dates from the end of the 17th century, was once the home of a large family of notables. It shows examples of both the Saadian and Alawite cultures. On the first floor, a magnificently ornate ceiling reminds us of how fine the line between art and craft is. The terrace offers a privileged view of the city's rooftops and the Atlas Mountains. A delicious lemonade is served here, which is welcome in the sweltering summer heat. And at prayer time, watch out for your ears: the minaret of the Saadian Al Ousta mosque is 100 m away as the crow flies!
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