Dar Niaba, landmark of diplomatic memory

A new museum space should soon come into being in Tangier, namely Dar Niaba, one of the closest witnesses to the city’s modern history. The building, recently restored under the direction of the National Museums Foundation, will retrace the diplomatic history of Morocco. The latter, during its inaugural exhibition, will be materialized by historical documents and artistic works within the framework of a collection made up of loans and donations.

Dar Niaba is a landmark of Moroccan diplomatic memory, considered by many as an exceptional historical site in the old medina. It was built in 1851 under the reign of Moulay Abderrahmane in the Syaghine Street to serve as the administrative headquarters of the Naib, the Sultan’s representative in charge of managing public affairs in Tangier. The goal was to prevent foreign delegations from crossing Morocco before arriving in the capital city Fez and thus limiting their influence.

Dar Niaba served as the seat of Moroccan diplomacy until 1912, the date of the beginning of the Protectorate and of the establishment of the international status of Tangier.

The upgrading of the building will allow for a real restitution of the diplomatic and artistic memory of the city through dedicated scenographic furniture. The building will also host workshops for young artists who will be able to take advantage of multidisciplinary spaces (plastic arts, digital arts, etc.) while allowing them to present their works in an appropriate environment.

It should be noted that the restoration work of the Medina has continued since 2020, despite the pandemic. The goal of the operation is first and foremost to preserve the urban, heritage, and cultural capital of the old Medina of Tangier while working on the development of its economic and tourist attractiveness.

In total, it is the whole of this old neighborhood of Tangier with its 26 hectares of surface area which is covered by the restoration work. The renovation will extend along its 5 neighborhoods: Kasba, Jnan Kabtan, Dar Baroud, Oued Aherdane, and Bni Idder. The project benefits from an investment of 850 million MAD (about 82 million USD), i.e. nearly half of the entire budget allocated for the northern medinas (a little less than 1.9 billion MAD).

Ali ABJIOU