This palace was built for Pacha Thami El Glaoui, also known as the Lord of the Atlas, who ruled over Marrakesh from 1912 to 1956. It is one of the medina's finest examples of riad architecture, dripping with zellige (colourful geometric tilework), intricate white plasterwork and heavy carved cedar-wood lintels, and opened to the public in 2015 as the Museum of Confluences. Well-presented exhibitions, which inhabit the salons around the main courtyard, span the arts and change around every six months.
Notable permanent features include the fascinating 12th-century Mediterranean map by Muslim cartographer and explorer Al Driss, and the beautifully preserved hammam. Head deep into the hammam to find the original subterranean brick chimneys that would have heated the chambers, exposed beneath a glass floor.
The museum also houses an opulent period cafe specialising in arabica coffee.
