Dar Si Said facts for kids

Rooms and decorated doorways inside the palace

Dar Si Said (which means "House of Si Said" in Arabic) is a beautiful old palace in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was built a long time ago, in the late 1800s. Today, it's a special museum called the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets. It shows amazing woven art and carpets from Morocco.

History of Dar Si Said

Building the Palace

The Dar Si Said palace was built between 1894 and 1900. A powerful man named Si Sa'id ibn Musa had it built. He was a "vizier," which means a high-ranking government official. Si Sa'id was also the minister of defence.

His brother, Ba Ahmad ibn Musa, was even more powerful. He was the "Grand Vizier," like a prime minister. Ba Ahmad was the real ruler of Morocco at that time. He served under Sultan Abdelaziz.

From Palace to Museum

After 1914, Morocco was under French control. The palace then became the office for regional leaders in Marrakesh. In the early 1930s, it was turned into a museum. This museum showed Moroccan art, especially beautiful wooden crafts.

After Morocco became independent in 1957, the palace was split. One part stayed a museum. The other part became an agency for traditional crafts.

Restorations and Reopening

The building has been fixed up many times over the years. It is still a museum today. A new group called the Fondation Nationale des Musées helped restore it. The museum reopened in 2018. It was then renamed the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets.

Recent Events

Sadly, the museum was badly damaged by an earthquake in September 2023. Because of this, it had to close for repairs. As of August 2025, the museum is still closed. It is being repaired so visitors can enjoy it again soon.

Palace Architecture

Design and Layout

The Dar Si Said palace looks a lot like the Bahia Palace. The Bahia Palace was built by Si Sa'id's father and brother. Both palaces have amazing decorations. But Dar Si Said is different because it has more than one floor. It also has a unique layout.

Special Features

One of the best parts of the palace is a grand hall. This big room is on the upper floor. There is also a large riad garden. A riad garden is a traditional Moroccan garden. It has a central pavilion made of painted wood.

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  The riad garden

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  Painted decoration inside the wooden pavilion of the garden

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  A courtyard with fountain in the palace

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  One of the grand halls in the palace

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  Cupola over the grand hall

Museum Collection

Rooms of the palace with exhibit on Moroccan carpets

What the Museum Shows

The museum has many different items in its collection. A lot of these objects come from the southern parts of Morocco. For a long time, the museum mainly showed Moroccan wooden art.

One special item was an old marble basin. It was made in Spain between 1002 and 1007. This basin was later used in a famous school called the Ben Youssef Madrasa. It has since been returned to that school.

After the museum reopened in 2018, its focus changed. Now, the exhibits mainly show beautiful Moroccan carpets and woven items.

See also

In Spanish: Museo Dar Si Said para niños

• Marrakech Museum
• Bahia Palace
• Nejjarine Museum (in Fes)