National Museum of Fine Arts of Morocco reopens after renovation

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Bizmoun — the oldest piece of jewelry in the world. It is on display at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Rabat, Morocco, in a building that has reopened its doors after years of renovation.

from Essaouira.

"The oldest piece of jewelry exhibited here — Bizmoun necklace, the oldest jewelry in the world, not only in Morocco, is 150,000 years old. It was discovered during recent excavations in the Bizmoun Cave near Essaouira. Thanks to this, we can start research and learn about the history of the development of jewelry”, — says Fatima Zahra Khlifi, curator of the National Museum of Fine Arts.

The museum has artistic, cultural as well as historical value. Before becoming a museum, the building was a princely residence built in the 17th century.

The building has been a museum since 1915, and until 2006 it was called the Uday Museum. Renovation work began in early 2020 and ended in late 2022.

After its opening, King Mohammed VI of Morocco donated 350 items from his collection to the museum.

"The purpose of the restoration and reconstruction of the building was to meet all approved standards for museum expositions and to receive proposals, both at the national and international levels, for their placement, taking into account the characteristics of the building. Then there were workshops in which selection and inventory took place and maintenance of the collection to enrich these exhibitions, not forgetting the gift of King Mohammed VI, which he made available to us”, — says Zahra Khlifi.

The museum has a total of 8,000 items on display, from jewelry to suits, bags, belts and shoes.

“The museum contains a variety of jewelry in its global concept, and it is not only jewelry, but also clothing in a varied display, divided into five parts, through which we can learn about the history of jewelry, jewelry-making tools and their development, the history of Moroccan costumes and the most important places of their manufacture, as well as men's and women's urban and rural jewelry and their regional features”, — says Zahra Khlifi.

More than 11,000 people visit the museum every day since it opened.

According to historian Mohamed Es-Semmar, the National Museum of Fine Arts will play its part in preserving the Moroccan cultural heritage.

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