Morocco has added a new destination to its rich tourist attractions by opening the National Finery Museum in the stunning Andalusian garden located in the historical Kasbah of the Oudayas in the capital, Rabat.
The building was a fortified military camp in the 12th century and now has become a site where beauty, peace, and coexistence meet, reflecting a rich know-how and artistic creativity.
The site reopened its doors after 3 years of refurbishment to be worthy of displaying the finest and most comprehensive collection of time-honored jewelry.
The museum’s innovative format is permeated by quirky architecture, and antique jewelry and costumes that make any visitor fall in love with them.
The museum has received a growing number of local and foreign visitors who toured its five pavilions to discover what the ancestors were wearing to appear in the finest look.
“The National Finery Museum in Rabat, which opened on Jan.7, 2023, at the Kasbah of Oudayas, has broken all attendance records. In fact, after being accessible to the public for less than eight days, the museum had close to 40.000 visitors”, cultural mediator Abdelhamid Lamrabt told BarlamaneToday.
The museum itinerary starts with the most precious jewels belonging to prehistoric, pre-roman, Roman, and Islamic medieval eras. The materials and tools used to manufacture these pieces were also exhibited as artisans still use them until now.
The first thing that attracts visitors is the oldest and well-designed objects found in “Bizmoune”: perforated shell beads that date back 150.000 years.
The museum gathers Moroccan rural jewelry made in silver and urban jewelry that is usually in gold or gilded silver.
The aesthetic accessories were not exclusive to women. The museum exhibits rings, knives, firearms, horns, powder boxes, sabers, and the daggers “Khanjar”.
The Hammam is the first step in women’s preparation to take care of themselves, using copper hammam buckets, hammam slippers “Qraqeb”, and marble sewer covers as it is a moment of blossoming and comfort. Traditional beauty products were prepared at home back then.
The body and skin care are followed by wearing the marvelous traditional dress: Caftan for women and Jellaba for men. It is not just a knitted cloth, it is a symbol of culture, social status, and identity.
The museum exhibits caftans of different eras and regions. The magnificent place takes the visitor from the rural costume known as “haik”, to the modern Caftan. In the Atlas mountains, women wear “Lizar” that is covered by the “Hendira”. Men usually wear Jellaba in rural and urban regions that is generally woven in wood.
Caftan is usually made of velvet, silk, or brocade. It can be opened at the front or closed by a belt « Mdema ». It is also trimmed with braided silk called “sfifa” and closed with a row of “aakad” (buttons).
Oujda, Tetouan, Fez, Rabat-Salé, and Marrakech are the main production schools of Caftans in Morocco. Hence, the site presents the 19th and 20th charming urban caftans of these cities; in addition to the rural Costume of women from the Jbala (Northern Morocco), the costume of the Anti-Atlas, Middle and High Atlas and the Jewish costume.
The museum also includes additional accessories to complete the traditional outfit such as the Meknassi ceremonial slippers or Cherbil that is made of velvet embroidered with gold threads “sqalli”, the Fassi Hzam of silk brocade, and the Mjadel of silk and gold threads.
The collections of designers who tried to bring a new breath to traditional clothing by mixing tradition and modernity are also present in the museum.
Zhor Rais is one of the designers who shaped the modern caftan in an audacious and contemporary style, creating Moroccan haute couture that crosses borders and preserves the Caftan’s cachet.
Moroccan Jewish Albert Oiknine is also taking part in spreading the puzzling mixture of the Jewish and Moroccan Caftans. His collection features caftans of pearls and stones that combine elegance and authenticity.
Designer Tamy Tazi’s collection gave, obviously, a new look to the Moroccan Caftan. She modernized the caftan making it easier to be worn by roughening Maalem’s work with gold and silver threads and creating her own cashmere patterns embellished with velvet.
Her works are distinguished by light fabrics, more fluid cuts and more refined silhouettes, offering the active urban women a garment combining the sublime of traditional patterns with the comfort of modern cuts.
The building was inaugurated by Princess Lalla Hasna on Jan.7, 2023, and the monarch granted it a large and diverse collection of silver jewelry. The Jewish tiara in silver is considered the priciest item in the collection.