“Classified as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008, as the first site on the list of oral and intangible heritage of humanity, the Jamaa el-Fna Square is a place of meetings and melting pot of different oral traditions,” said the Foundation in a statement.
Located at the former headquarters of Bank Al Maghrib, the museum offers visitors the opportunity to discover the history of the mythical square of Jamaa el-Fna to enhance the “halqa” (storyteller’s circle) and its various arts and raise public awareness of the major interest of this common heritage, in order to preserve it and pass it on to future generations, the same source notes.
The exhibition is dedicated to Jamaa el-Fna Square and its actors, with a course divided into different sections: the history of Marrakech and Jamaa el-Fna Square, the presentation of the halqa and “hlaiqis” (storytellers), as well as the secrets of their know-how and their jobs.
Designed in harmony with the building that houses it, the museum unveils a numismatic section, a tribute to Bank Al Maghrib and the staff who worked there, in addition to a space dedicated to the presentation of the square through the arts (painting, theater, cinema and photography). Two masterpieces of Jacques Majorelle that illustrate in detail the daily scenes of this place are exposed, as well as paintings of renowned artists who have marked the Moroccan painting in general and local in particular.
Jamaa El-Fna, Intangible Heritage Museum, is designed as an extension of this beating heart of Marrakech. It enriches the city’s museum offer and contributes to preserving and disseminating its ancestral and universal heritage, an integral part of the collective memory.
