Dar el Makzhen (Tangier)

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The Dar-el-Makhzen (or Sultanate Palace) in Tangier, Morocco was the seat of residence for the Sultans of Morocco when staying in Tangier. It was built by Moulay Ismail in the 17th century, in the Kasbah on one of the highest points of the city overlooking the Medina and the Strait of Gibraltar. Currently it is used by two museums, the Museum of Moroccan Arts and the Museum of Antiquities.

The Dar-el-Makhzen was the palace to which the last Sultan of independent Morocco, Moulay Hafid, was exiled when the French Protectorate of Morocco forced him to abdicate. He moved in with his entire harem, slaves and personnel, altogether consisting of 168 people, and stayed in the Palace when his brother Moulay Yusef took over power after the Treaty of Fez^[1]

The building is built around two courtyards, which are decorated with wooden ceilings, marble fountains and arabesques. Some of the columns used are of Roman origin.

The former Sultan’s apartments are now used by the Museum of Moroccan Arts, displaying works of art from all over Morocco, amongst which are firearms decorated with marquetry, carpets, silks from Fez, and manuscripts. The Museum of Antiquities now occupies the former kitchen. It houses finds from ancient Roman sites as Lixus, Cotta and Volubilis, as well as as life-size Carthaginian tomb and finds from the Tangier region from prehistory until the middle ages^[2].