Built by Sultan Hassan I and completed under Abdelaziz, the former Dar Batha palace became Morocco's first museum in 1915 and reopened in February 2025 after a six-year, 15.6-million-MAD renovation as the Al Batha Museum of Islamic Arts.
Why visit
The Al Batha Museum of Islamic Arts in Fez houses the country's reference collection of Fassi cobalt-blue ceramics, Marinid stucco and woodwork salvaged from crumbling madrasas, Berber carpets and Andalusi astrolabes — all set inside a 19th-century palace whose Andalusian garden alone justifies the visit.
What to expect
Galleries arranged around an Arab-Andalusian palace courtyard with a central fountain, divided into ceramics, woodwork and tilework, manuscripts, textiles and astronomical instruments. The 1915 garden of palms, jacaranda and citrus runs over half the palace footprint.
Best time
Mid-morning, after 10:00 opening, before tour groups arrive from the riads. Closed Tuesdays.
How to combine
Two minutes from Bab Bou Jeloud and five minutes from Bou Inania Madrasa — a natural first stop on a Fes el-Bali walking day.
Price range
The Al Batha Museum of Islamic Arts is ticketed: 60 Dh for foreign visitors, 30 Dh for Moroccans and 15 Dh for children.
It opens 10:00 to 18:00 and is closed on Tuesdays. Tickets are issued by the Fondation Nationale des Musées, which runs the museum — it is the only Fes museum in the national foundation's network.
10:00 to 18:00, closed Tuesdays. Entry is around 60 MAD. Hours can shift around national holidays — check before going.
A cobalt-on-white glaze developed by Fez potters from the 10th century onward, fired to deep vivid blue and decorated with floral, geometric and calligraphic motifs. Dar Batha's collection is the reference set.
Place de l'Istiqlal (Batha Square), 2 minutes' walk from Bab Bou Jeloud at the western edge of Fes el-Bali.
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