Built between 1894 and 1900 by Si Said ibn Musa, brother of grand vizier Ba Ahmed, Dar Si Said is a small late-19th-century palace converted to a museum in the 1930s. After major restoration following the 2023 earthquake, it operates as Morocco's National Museum of Weaving and Carpets, displaying textiles from across the Atlas, Sahara and southern Morocco.
Why visit
Dar Si Said is the best textile museum in southern Morocco and the calmer, smaller sibling of Bahia Palace. The combination of a complete late-19th-century vizier palace and a national-level carpet collection in one building is hard to find anywhere else in the country.
What to expect
A circuit around a riad garden into rooms hung with Berber pile carpets, kilims and embroideries, plus the painted-cedar reception hall on the upper floor. Labels are in Arabic, French and English.
Best time
Late morning. The textile rooms are smaller and quieter than Bahia Palace next door, and most tour groups skip Dar Si Said in favour of the bigger neighbour, which keeps the galleries calm.
Price range
Dar Si Said, the National Museum of Weaving and Carpets, charges 30 Dh standard admission and 15 Dh reduced; the day pass is 50 Dh and children under 6 enter free.
Practical tips
Pair with Bahia Palace and the Mellah on the same loop. Check current opening status before visiting — earthquake repairs have led to occasional partial closures. Photography rules vary by gallery; ask at the entrance.
Dar Si Said is dedicated to Moroccan weaving and carpets. The collection covers Berber kilims and pile carpets from the Middle and High Atlas, hanbel weavings, Saharan tent textiles and embroidered fabrics from Fez, Tetouan and Salé.
Si Said ibn Musa, brother of the more famous Ba Ahmed who built the neighbouring Bahia Palace. Both were viziers under Sultan Hassan I and his successor Abdelaziz, and both palaces were built in the same craft tradition by overlapping teams.
Yes. Even apart from the textile collection, Dar Si Said is one of the best-preserved late-19th-century vizier palaces in Marrakech. The carved-cedar reception hall and the riad garden with its central wooden pavilion are highlights.
Yes. The 8 September 2023 earthquake caused significant damage to the palace and a multi-month closure. Repair work has been progressing in stages; check the museum's status before visiting.