BAB EL OQLA MUSEUM, TETOUAN

ABOUT

Located to the east of the ancient Medina, the Bab El Oqla Museum, named after one of the seven historic gates of Tetouan, is a space for meetings and exchanges, an invitation to discover the historical and cultural richness of the city of Tetouan. This city is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List and stands at the crossroads of many influences.

Founded in 1928, this museum was initially known as the "Muslim Center" or "Museum of Indigenous Arts" and was housed in the Bennouna House in the heart of the Medina. Later, it was transferred to one of the bastions of the Tetouan enclosure, at Bab el Oqla, and inaugurated on July 29, 1948. It is a historical fortress built on the orders of the Alaouite Sultan Moulay Abderrahmane around 1830-31, as evidenced by an inscription above the entrance door, which can be translated as follows: "In the name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful, to triumph, consolidate, and the victorious class of Our Lord Abderrahmane, Prince of Believers, this blessed bastion was built by the power of his servant and heir to his grace, Mohamed Achach, in the year 1246 of the Hijri calendar / 1830-31."

The museum building consists of two spaces: a ground floor housing a corridor, two small rooms, a large hall with arcades, and another opening onto the garden. The upper floor includes a grand reception area, four rooms, a large Tetouanese salon, and a terrace. The architecture and composition of this monument categorize it as a traditional Tetouanese house, with a typical local decorative style: zellige tiling, painted or sculpted wooden roofs and friezes, arches, wrought iron, round tiles, painted wooden doors, and more.

PHOTO GALLERY

THE COLLECTIONS

The Bab El Oqla Museum of Tetouan opens its doors with the exhibition "Tetouan: Man and His Environment," shedding light on the city's history and its cultural specificities. A historical and ethnographic journey, marked by thematic stops, allows visitors to admire the beauty of the building while also reconstructing and appropriating the city's history. This focus emphasizes indigenous cultural specifics and various foreign influences.

The journey unfolds in three sections organized according to the building's layout.

The first section begins with a geographical and historical presentation of the city of Tetouan, from its reconstruction in the 15th century to the period of Spanish presence and the modern era (19th and 20th centuries). It also covers its period of zenith and prosperity (late 16th and early 18th century) and its decline in the 18th century.

The second section immerses visitors in the urban organization of the Medina and its various architectural elements. This route leads to the discovery of the "Squndo," the water distribution system that runs through Tetouan's Medina, dating back to the late 15th century, as well as different architectural elements such as painted and sculpted wood, zellige tiling, friezes, funerary steles, doors and their components, windows, and more.

The third section is dedicated to the art and crafts of Tetouan's Medina. While rich and diverse, Tetouan's craftsmanship is an inheritance that constitutes an identity element. Nevertheless, it also displays certain Andalusian, Ottoman, and Sephardic influences.