Why visit
- If you want to understand that northern Morocco had a Mediterranean Roman life long before the Arab conquest, this is the museum to visit. The Lixus mosaics alone — especially the Three Graces and the Bacchic panels — are worth the stop.
Archaeological Museum of Tétouan
Tetouan
The Archaeological Museum of Tétouan, founded under the Spanish Protectorate in 1940, holds one of the most important Roman and pre-Roman collections in Morocco. Its mosaics — the "Three Graces", Bacchic scenes, and sea creatures from Lixus — line the central patio. Upstairs are Punic, Mauretanian, and Roman bronzes, lamps, coins, and daily-life pieces from Tamuda, the Roman-Mauretanian site just outside the city.
What to expect
- A two-floor museum built around a central patio lined with Roman mosaics. The ground floor covers Punic, Mauretanian, and Roman ceramics and bronzes, largely from Tamuda. The upper floor holds funerary stelae, coins, and a small numismatic collection. The patio itself is the highlight — photography is fine, no flash.
Best time
- Weekday mornings. Closed Tuesdays. Arrive around 10am to have the mosaic patio quiet before school groups and tour coaches.
How to combine
- Pair with the Tamuda ruins (10-minute drive) for an ancient-history half-day. Or combine with Place Moulay el-Mehdi and the Ensanche architecture — all within 10 minutes' walk.
Price range
- The Archaeological Museum of Tétouan is ticketed by the Fondation Nationale des Musées: 30 Dh standard admission, 15 Dh reduced, and 50 Dh for the day pass.
- Children under 6 are not charged. It opens 10:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Sunday and closes on Tuesdays.
- It is a national museum rate, not a monument rate — the same 30 Dh grid as the foundation's other houses, and less than the Ministry of Culture charges foreign visitors at Tamuda or Dar Sanaa.
Location
Tetouan
FAQs
Museum first. The site at Tamuda is stripped of most portable finds — everything of value is here. Seeing the mosaics and bronzes first turns the ruins into something you can actually read.
60–90 minutes covers the two floors and the mosaic patio. If you're combining with Tamuda ruins the same day, budget half a day total.
Yes — the mosaics and bronzes hold short attention spans, and the central patio is outdoors. Strollers are workable on the ground floor; the upper floor has stairs.
You may also like
