Chris Pearrow
Another architectural highlight in Marrakech
Dar Si Said was a genteel riad in its day and still maintains its stately grandeur, although it's now home to a museum of Moroccan traditional crafts. It has displays on everything from cutlery to carpets to traditional Berber jewelry, an exhibition which was accompanied by old photos where where particularly interesting. To be honest, the museum part isn't that amazing, and many of the explanations are in French.
What is worth the visit, though, is the building itself. It's in the same league as Ben-Youssef and the Bahia Palace in terms of intricate craftsmanship, mind-boggling detail, and beauty.
The best parts are the peaceful courtyard with its babbling fountain and banana trees, the perfect place to sit down and take a break from the rush of the city. Also, the "nuptial chambers" where incredible. The owner must have had a very high opinion of his amorous abilities! The ceiling in the nuptial chambers was perhaps the single most ornate room we saw during our whole trip to Marrakech. It's just incredible. Also, Dar Si Said is still not a widely known place among tourists (although it is in most guidebooks) so if you get there early in the morning or around lunchtime, you'll have the place to yourself and feel like royalty. I'd definitely recommend stopping by while you're in the south of the city seeing the Saadian Tombs and Palaces.
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