The House of Photography is a privately owned museum which is not often featured in our Egypt and Morocco Tours but it can be added to any and all of our existing tour itineraries. It is located at the medina in the heart of the old city in Marrakech. Its convenient location and it fascinating exhibits have helped to secure its place firmly on the tourist map, and it is particularly popular among people who are passionate about photography and also about this wonderful city’s rich history.

House of Photography interior, Marrakech.

Most of our Morocco tours include at least a day or two in Marrakech, one of Morocco’s imperial cities which is often nicknamed the Red City of Morocco.

As one would expect, there are so many Marrakech tourist attractions to choose from, which is of course a good thing, but it can be difficult trying to decide which places to visit if you only have a limited amount of time to spare.

If you appreciate photography and you want to get a more in-depth taste of what life was like in Marrakech between 1870 and 1950, then you should seriously consider visiting this charming museum during your stay in the city.

The House of Photography has a collection of around 4,500 old photographs, more than 2,000 old traditional glass slides, and an impressive collection of historical documents.

In total, there are more than 10,000 items stored at the museum, all of which have been nicely grouped into various themes, such as a Berber collection and etc. The museum also hosts exhibitions which change every six months on a sort of rotational basis.

Marrakech House of Photography – a Brief History

The idea to open a museum that would showcase old and original photography was born when two men realized that they shared a similar passion: collecting old photos of Marrakech; photos of buildings; special events; important people, and the overall way of life of everyday Moroccans living in Marrakech from 1870 to around 1950.

Realizing that they had both amassed sizeable collections, Hamid Mergani and Patrick Manach decided to open a museum so that a far wider audience could enjoy their collections, and so the House of Photography was born.

To accommodate their impressive collections, they chose a beautifully restored 3-story funduq which is essentially an old inn which once catered to the needs of travelers and merchants who were passing through the city.

Being one of the lesser-know tourist attractions in Morocco, the House of Photography is by no means the busiest or most popular tourist attraction in the area, but it is still very popular, and it is certainly worthy of a visit.

Visiting the House of Photography

If you only have one or two days to spare in Marrakech, then it will really depend on your level of interest regarding this type of museum.

As has been mentioned, there are thousands of fascinating photos, slides, documents, maps, postcards and etc. to keep you busy for at least two or three hours, and the museum also has a very rare full-color documentary which was filmed in Morocco in 1957.

If you happen to book one of our Egypt and Morocco Tours that include some free time in Marrakech and you need a break from the crowds, visit the House of Photography, and don’t forget to enjoy a good cup coffee or a pot tea on the museum’s rooftop terrace before you leave.

The museum is open daily from 09h30 to 19h00, and at the time of writing, admission was Dh40 for adults, which is more or less what you can expect to pay at most tourist attractions in the country. There is no admission fee for children.