Musée des Confluences - Dar El Bacha

The Glaoui palace is now a museum of confluence — where cultures met, mixed, and made something new. The building served Thami El Glaoui, the controversial pasha who controlled Marrakech under the French protectorate and entertained Churchill, Roosevelt, and Colette. The restoration is magnificent. Courtyards layer behind courtyards; carved stucco rises three stories; the zellige floors glow under natural light. A coffee museum occupies the upper floors, tracing the history of the drink from Ethiopia through the Arab world to Europe. Bacha Coffee operates a cafe in the main courtyard — good coffee, higher prices, the privilege of drinking it surrounded by palace architecture. The museum balances between celebrating the building and reckoning with its owner. History is complicated; the architecture is simpler. Best time: Morning (light in the courtyards) Allow: 1-1.5 hours Combine with: Le Jardin Secret and Ben Youssef