Museums -- Rabat
Oudaias Museum
Kasbah des Oudaïas
Tel: (07) 73 15 37'
The Museum is situated in the opulent 17th century lodge built by Moulay Ismail as his first Rabat residence, with a lush garden that is a masterpiece. At the far end of the lodge is a room reproducing an ancient Moroccan interior with a vast bay opening onto this glorious spectacle. Cushions in brocade, silk and gold cover the divans around the room.
A little further on, in a cool marble room, stand rows of ancient illuminated Qur'ans (pictured), jewellery, pottery and musical instruments. There is also an exquisite collection of carpets.
Archaeological Museum
23, rue Brihi
Tel: (07) 70 19 19/ 70 22 24
Built in 1932 and enlarged a few years later to display the finds resulting from intense archaeological research, this museum has housed the National Museum collections since 1986 and is one of the richest in Morocco.
The prehistoric section brings together human remains from the middle Paleolithic period to the Neolithic, illustrating the continuity and size of the population at this time.
The Islamic archaeology section is constantly growing with finds coming from excavations of 8th and 9th century sites. Mauritanian potters, herdsmen, surgeons and bakers left a legacy of their tools while their womenfolk have left their jewellery.
Pre-Roman and Roman civilizations are well represented by some of the finest pieces to have survived from those periods. There is also an exceptional collection of Hellenistic style bronzes.
Natural Science Museum
Ministry of Energy and Mining
Apart from the history of the earth's geological origins, this museum also has an impressive sauropod dinosaur on display. Its skeleton, all parts of which are completely authentic, was discovered in 1979 in the Azilal region of the High Atlas, where it lived 150 million years ago.
Postal Museum
Ministry of P&T
This museum was founded in 1970. It brings together superb collections of Moroccan stamps, envelopes, telephones and telegraph machines, including the Baudot (telegraph with printer), as well as belinographs (machines for reproducing photographs over a long distance) and postal vans. Among the major items is Morocco's first official stamp, dated 12 May 1912, showing the Aissaoua Mosque in Tangier.