Dar Batha

Before the reign of Hassan I (), the land on which Dar Batha is located was occupied only by small isolated structures between Fes el-Bali and Fes el-Jdid. It was only when Moulay Hassan decided to build a corridor of walls connecting the two cities that much of this space was filled with royal gardens (such as Jnan Sbil) and palaces. The land for Dar Batha was purchased from the wealthy Ben Jelloun family of Fes. The palace was commissioned and begun in the late 19th century by Moulay Hassan I and then finished and embellished by Moulay Abdelaziz (). The adjoining Dar el-Beida was completed by Sultan Abdelhafid (), the last independent sultan of Morocco in the early 20th century.), then eventually as a national ethnographical museum and cultural center. In 1924 it was classified as a national monument. Renovation works on the Batha Museum began in April 2019, with a projected cost of 15.6 million Moroccan dirhams and with a goal to convert it into a museum of Islamic art. The museum reopened to visitors on 26 February 2025. == Architecture ==

The main entrance of the building leads to a vast rectangular courtyard around which the building is centered. The courtyard is surrounded by galleries and by the two main wings of the building are at its eastern and western ends. The courtyard floor is decorated at its west and east ends with colorful zellij mosaic tilework across its floor and around its ornamental fountains. The galleries at the east and west ends of the courtyard consist of large horseshoe arches in brick, while the galleries to the north and south of the central garden are made of painted wood. Some of the other rooms around the palace are also decorated with zellij and painted woodwork. The garden represents a typical riad layout and Andalusian style, a rectangular area divided into four parts along its two central axes, with a fountain at its middle. It makes up around 58% of the entire area of the palace. The garden was originally arranged by landscape architect Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier in 1915 for the recreational use of the visitors, especially during the summer. Among the tree and plant species here are palm trees, jacarandas, and hibiscus. Today, concerts and religious festivals are held in the garden. File:Inside Batha Museum of Fes city.jpg|The courtyard of the palace, with zellij-covered fountains File:Dar Batha DSCF2803.jpg|Zellij paving around the fountain File:Dar Batha DSCF2808.jpg|Gallery around the courtyard File:Dar Batha Museum, Fes (8958254162).jpg|The central riad garden File:Dar el Batha Museum (588894744).jpg|One of the wooden galleries along the northern or southern edge of the garden File:Dar Batha DSCF2795.jpg|Painted decoration on the ceiling of the wooden gallery == Museum collection ==

The museum houses a large and valuable collection of 6500 archaeological and historical art artifacts. Some of the oldest artifacts and pieces of art in Fes are housed here, including architectural fragments from the Idrisid era and the remains of the 9th-century minbar of the Mosque of the Andalusians, crafted under both Fatimid and Córdoban Umayyad patronage. The 14th-century minbar of the Bou Inania Madrasa is also housed here. Other artifacts include historic Qur'ans, astrolabes, musical instruments, carpets, jewelry, and a large collection of local ceramics in the "blue" style of Fes. The objects are arranged thematically across the rooms of the palace. ==See also==