Dar Batha Museum - Art, Craft and History
If you have an appreciation for art, craft and history, the Dar Batha Museum in Morocco is a must-see attraction. This excellent collection of artifacts is housed in a Hispano-Moorish palace that dates back to the 19th century – a beautiful piece of art in itself. Located in Fez, the Dar Batha Museum is a tribute to some of the most brilliant traditional artwork of Fez.
So exactly what sort of traditional artwork can you expect to find at the Dar Batha Museum? Most traditional forms of art were also practical in nature so they usually took the form of furniture that was given a decorative touch. Therefore you can expect to enjoy intricately carved wooden furniture, wrought iron with decorative finishing touches, carpets, embroidery and jewelry. Of course, there were also less functional pieces, such as artwork made from sculpted plaster or other decorative materials. The Dar Batha Museum also has a great collection of ancient coins. All of these intricately worked masterpieces of functional or decorative art are beautiful to behold and visitors may find themselves struggling to decide where to start and which item to look at next.
The best part of the museum, however, is undoubtedly the pottery room where you will find an unbeatable display of ceramic objects that have been masterfully crafted by Fez craftsmen through the centuries. Of particular interest are the articles dating back to the 10th century which contain items of ‘fez blue’. At the time, this relatively groundbreaking way of coloring pottery involved the use of cobalt to obtain the bluish coloring. Typical ceramics feature a white enamel background with stylized floral motives interweaved on them in brilliant shades of blue. The floral motifs are both sophisticated and harmonious and are a delight to behold.
Also worth seeing are the astrolabes – a display featuring a variety of fascinating astronomical instruments that were created and perfected by learned Arabs. They are not only functional, but wonderfully decorative with intricately worked metal and inset jewels. You’ll find the Dar Batha Museum at Place du Batha in Fez. Don’t miss it or you’ll miss out!
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