Dar Cherifa Marrakech: Saadian house and literary café

Updated on October 2, 2026

At the end of a small alley, Derb Chorfa Lakbir, a few steps west of the Mouassine Mosque, Dar Cherifa is one of the few well-preserved houses from the Saadian period in Marrakech. It is dated to the second half of the 16th century, possibly to the reign of Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib, who then built the new Mouassine district around its mosque; the richness of its decoration suggests it was built for a wealthy or aristocratic family. Long known as Dar Ijimi, after the family who lived there, it was bought and restored in 2000 by Abdellatif Aït Ben Abdallah. It has since been a literary café, a restaurant and a gallery: you can sit in the patio for tea or a meal, between exhibitions or concerts. Its carved stucco and cedar decoration recalls that of the Ben Youssef Madrasa, which dates from the same period.

Highlights

The central patio

The two floors of the house are arranged around a deep patio, lined with twelve pillars grouped in threes at the corners. Between the pillars, wide carved cedar lintels form corbelled arches; above them, stucco panels with sebka patterns frame the upper-floor windows.

The muqarnas doorways

On two sides of the patio, tall lambrequin-arched doorways, their intrados carved with muqarnas, lead to the rooms. Above each arch, three false windows of stucco carved with geometric patterns are framed by friezes of arabesques and Kufic motifs.

The art gallery

The walls of the patio and rooms host temporary exhibitions by Moroccan and international artists. The works change with the programme, which also includes concerts and talks.

The carved inscriptions

Look up at the wooden lintels and some of the stucco panels: Arabic inscriptions of a religious nature are carved into them, as in other Saadian monuments of the same period.

Infos pratiques

Tips

There is no ticket to visit the house: you can walk in to look at the patio and the current exhibition, while drinks and meals are paid for. At the restaurant, à la carte dishes start at 50 MAD (prices checked in October 2026). For lunch or dinner, bookings are made through Marrakech Riads, which presents the venue on its website. On Wednesdays, the house closes at 7pm.

How to get there

8, Derb Chorfa Lakbir, Mouassine district, Marrakech medina, a few steps west of the Mouassine Mosque. On foot: about 10 minutes from Jemaa el-Fna square, heading north along rue Mouassine to the mosque, then taking the alleys to the west. By taxi: ask to be dropped at Jemaa el-Fna square or near the Koutoubia, as the medina's alleys are closed to cars, then finish on foot.