The Dar-el-Makhzen is a historical building in Tangier

Tangier

Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...

, Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

, which was the seat of residence for the Sultans of Morocco when staying in the city.
It was built by Moulay Ismail

Ismail Ibn Sharif

Moulay Ismaïl Ibn Sharif was the second ruler of the Moroccan Alaouite dynasty. Like others of the dynasty, Ismaïl claimed to be a descendant of Muhammad through his roots to Hassan ibn Ali...

 in the 17th century, in the Kasbah on one of the highest points of the city overlooking the Medina

Medina quarter

A medina quarter is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. The medina is typically walled, contains many narrow and maze-like streets...

 and the Strait of Gibraltar

Strait of Gibraltar

The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...

. Currently it is used by two museums, the Museum of Moroccan Arts and the Museum of Antiquities.

The Dar-el-Makhzen was the palace to which the last Sultan of independent Morocco, Moulay Hafid

Abdelhafid of Morocco

Abdelhafid of Morocco was the Sultan of Morocco from 1908 to 1912 and a member of the Alaouite Dynasty. His younger brother, Abdelaziz of Morocco, preceded him...

, was exiled when the French Protectorate of Morocco

French Morocco

French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...

 forced him to abdicate. He moved in with his entire harem

Harem

Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...

, slaves and personnel, altogether consisting of 168 people, and stayed in the Palace when his brother Moulay Yusef

Yusef of Morocco

Sultan Yusef ben Hassan ruled Morocco from 1912 until his death in 1927. Born in the city of Meknes to Sultan Hassan I, he inherited the throne from his brother, Sultan Abdelhafid, who abdicated after the Treaty of Fez , which made Morocco a French protectorate. He was a member of the Alaouite...

 took over power after the Treaty of Fez

Treaty of Fez

By the Treaty of Fez , signed March 30, 1912, Sultan Abdelhafid gave up the sovereignty of Morocco to the French, making the country a protectorate, resolving the Agadir Crisis of July 1, 1911....

The building is built around two courtyards, which are decorated with wooden ceilings, marble fountains and arabesque

Arabesque

The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements...

s. Some of the columns used are of Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 origin.

Museum of Moroccan Arts and Antiquities

The former Sultan’s apartments are now used by the Museum of Moroccan Arts (Musée des Arts Marocains et des Antiquités'), displaying works of art from all over Morocco, amongst which are firearms decorated with marquetry, carpets, silks from Fez

Fes, Morocco

Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....

, and manuscripts. The Museum of Antiquities now occupies the former kitchen. It houses finds from ancient Roman sites as Lixus

Lixus (ancient city)

Lixus is the site of an ancient city located in Morocco just north of the modern seaport of Larache on the bank of the Loukkos River. The location was one of the main cities of the Roman province Mauretania Tingitana.-Geography:...

, Cotta and Volubilis

Volubilis

Volubilis is an archaeological site in Morocco situated near Meknes between Fez and Rabat along the N13 road. The nearest town is Moulay Idriss. Volubilis features the best preserved Roman ruins in this part of northern Africa...

, as well as life-size Carthaginian tomb and finds from the Tangier region from prehistory until the Middle Ages. Of note is The Voyage of Venus, a Roman mosaic from Volubilis displayed in the courtyard and reproductions of several bronzes from the Rabat museum of archaeology

Rabat Archaeological Museum

Rabat Archaeological Museum is an archaeological museum in Rabat, Morocco. Opened in 1932, it contains the most extensive collection of archaeological artifacts found in Morocco...

. The Bital el-Mal treasury is noted for its magnificent painted cedar ceiling and 18th century coffers with a complex system of locks. A gallery leads into the place itself and is built around a central courtyard paved with zellij tilework and surrounded by white columns.