Ethnographic Museum of the kasbah of Chefchaouen: A travel trough the time

Opened in 1985, this museum covers an area of 300 m2 and occupies the left area of the Kasbah, the splendid monument of the city of Chefchaouen.

Historical Overview of the building

The museum occupies a large space in the northwest part of Kasba. Originally, it was the private residence of Prince Moulay Rachid Ben Ali, the founder of the city of Chefchaouen in 1471.

in 1743, During the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail, the building was restored by one of its governors, the commander Ahmed Ben Ali Rifi, which made the Kasba prestige and role of yesteryear: the regional command center of Chefchaouen and the tribe of Ghmara.

The building of the museum was occupied and used as a community center by the Spaniards during the protectorate.

Chefchaouen gates: reach the heart of Chefchaouen

Your holiday in Chefchaouen

As any Moroccan city, the medina is his heart. To reach the heart of Chefchaouen, you should pass through one of the gates that surround it. These doors are part of the cultural heritage of the city:

THE “EL HAMMAR” DOOR – “BAB EL HAMMAR”

 Located in Souika Street, its name refers to the once well-known business in the region, namely El Hammar meaning "donkey driver." This neighborhood, named Bab El Hammar, was the starting point of a successful trade between Chefchaouen and southern Morocco (Fez, Rabat) or north (Tangier, Tetouan). Therefore, this door (and the course area) occupied a strategic place in the development of this trade since it was a place of meeting and display of merchandise and consequently a starting point for other shopping centers.

Some historians describe El Hammar as Moroccans who worked with Spanish as soldiers and who used this door as a starting point for their militaries operations.