Dar el Bacha

Hours

Wed-Mon 10am-6pm

Entry

70 MAD

Duration

45 minutes

Location

Route Sidi Abdelaziz, Medina

The Glaoui pasha entertained Churchill and Colette here. Now a museum of confluence — courtyards behind courtyards, carved stucco rising three stories. The coffee museum traces the drink from Ethiopia.

The Pasha's Palace, Again

Dar el Bacha — the Pasha's House — was the Marrakech residence of Thami el-Glaoui, the last pasha, the collaborator, the man who entertained Churchill and betrayed Mohammed V. The palace was confiscated after independence and stood empty for decades. It reopened in 2017 as the Musée des Confluences, a cultural space and high-end café in what may be the most extravagant domestic interior in Marrakech.

The café alone draws visitors. Bacha Coffee, a Moroccan-Singaporean brand, operates the ground floor — single-origin coffees served in a room where the Glaoui once hosted state dinners.

The Rooms

The scale is palatial. Multiple courtyards, reception halls with 7-metre ceilings, carved stucco covering every surface, zellige at floor level, painted cedarwood above. The craftsmanship dates to the early 20th century — the height of the Protectorate — and was executed by the best artisans from Fes and Marrakech.

The decoration is maximalist. Every surface is worked. The Glaoui spent what would now be millions on these rooms, and every dirham is visible.

Visiting

In the Mouassine quarter, near Le MAP. The café is accessible without a museum ticket and is worth a stop purely for the interior. The museum upstairs rotates exhibitions of Moroccan crafts and culture.

The coffee is expensive by Marrakech standards but the room you are drinking it in cost a fortune to build. The trade-off seems fair.

Best Time to Visit

Mid-morning for the café before crowds. The interior is climate-controlled.

Getting There

In the Mouassine quarter of the Marrakech medina. Near Le MAP and the Mouassine Fountain. A 10-minute walk from Jemaa el-Fna.

Local Tip

Stunning palace. Coffee museum upstairs. Bacha Coffee in courtyard.

Common Questions

Both. The ground floor is Bacha Coffee (no ticket needed). The upper floors are the Musée des Confluences (ticketed). You can visit either or both.

Thami el-Glaoui, Pasha of Marrakech from 1912-1956. He collaborated with the French Protectorate and lived lavishly. The palace was confiscated after independence.

Walking Distance

Nearby

Gardens

Le Jardin Secret

Dar el Bacha is the most beautiful museum space in Marrakech. We go for the architecture as much as the exhibitions — the Glaoui built this palace to impress, and it still does.

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