Morocco’s National Museum Foundation (FNM) is set to create the Jemaa El Fna Museum of Tangible and Intangible Heritage in Marrakech.
The museum will be located at the historic building of Bank al-Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank, facing the emblematic Jemaa El Fna square.
The Marrakech City Hall has recently delivered the keys of the building to the FNM in a symbolic ceremony marking the start of the project.
“The museum will offer a welcoming and attractive experience, not only through exhibitions, but also through workshops and a rich and diverse cultural program,” said FNM President Mehdi Qotbi.
“The museum will be emblematic, like the [Jemaa El Fna] square that hosts it,” he added.
The historic headquarters of Bank al-Maghrib in Marrakech, which is currently out of use, will provide an attractive location for the Jemaa El Fna museum.
The museum will exhibit a collection of artworks and written, visual, and audio documents, relating to the history of the Jemaa El Fna square.
“This will be one of the most emblematic museums in the city of Marrakech, thanks to its location in the Jemaa El Fna square, which has long nourished the collective memory of Morocco and the artistic personality of Moroccans,” Qotbi declared.
The project falls within Morocco’s strategy that places culture at the heart of development, he explained.
Meanwhile, Marrakech Mayor Mohamed Larbi Belcaid said the museum will further enhance the image of Marrakech and its international attractiveness.
The FNM, which currently manages 13 museums across Morocco, including the Dar El Bacha and Dar Si Said museums in Marrakech, will lead the project, but it will collaborate with several partners.
The partners include the Wilaya (Governorate) of Marrakech-Safi, the Marrakech City Hall, Bank al-Maghrib, and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).
