Mouassine Museum: the douiria and Moroccan music

Updated on October 1, 2026

The Mouassine Museum (Musée de Mouassine), now called the Marrakech Music Museum (Musée de la Musique de Marrakech), occupies a house in the Mouassine district, in the heart of the medina, whose origins go back to the Saadian period, when the district was rebuilt around the new Mouassine Mosque. Bought in 2012 by Patrick Manac'h and Hamid Mergani, the founders of the Maison de la Photographie, it was restored until 2014: under thick layers of white plaster, craftsmen uncovered the original stucco and painted wood, with some of their colours intact. The jewel of the house is its douiria, the reception apartment on the upper floor, with painted cedar ceilings and carved stucco. Since 2019, the rooms have been devoted to the diversity of Morocco's music, Arab-Andalusian, Amazigh, Gnawa, dakka marrakchia, through instruments, photographs, documentaries and recordings, and the museum holds concerts in the douiria.

Highlights

The douiria

This reception room, with its alcove topped by a carved wooden canopy and its double doors, has regained its painted decoration since the restoration. Rugs, cushions and tea trays recall the room's original use.

The painted ceilings

Look up: the cedar ceilings and friezes are covered with floral and geometric patterns. Some of the painted decoration is thought to date from the reign of Moulay Ismail, in the late 17th or early 18th century.

The carved stucco

Above the doors, carved stucco screens, highlighted in blue and ochre, crown the arches. Two carved wooden wall fittings flank them on either side.

The musical evenings

Several evenings a week, usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6pm to 7pm, musicians play Arab-Andalusian, Amazigh or Gnawa music in the douiria. Seats are limited and must be booked in advance with the museum; the schedule varies with the season.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Admission costs 80 MAD for an adult, 50 MAD for residents of Morocco, and is free for under-15s (prices checked in October 2026). The same ticket gives access to the Maison de la Photographie de Marrakech: keep it if you visit both. The museum also has a terrace café and offers a tea ceremony on reservation.

How to get there

4-5, Derb el Hammam, Mouassine district, Marrakech medina, near the Mouassine Mosque. On foot: about 10 minutes from Jemaa el-Fna square, heading north along rue Mouassine.