Maison Culturelle du Tapis (Carpet Museum)
A proper private carpet museum, with a paid entry - not another free medina showroom. Six rooms by region, live weaving and tea on the roof. Recent (late 2025) and run by a family of carpet dealers. It is not 'the only one in Morocco' (that title belongs to Dar Si Said, the national museum), but a solid primer before you head into the souks.
History & context
Opened in late 2025 in a restored riad in the Laksour district, Maison Culturelle du Tapis is a private museum entirely devoted to the Moroccan carpet. It grew out of a family collection built up over some fifty years - the oldest pieces go back to the 1850s - held by a family of carpet dealers and collectors settled in the district.
The self-guided route runs across six rooms organised by region: Berber carpets from the High and Middle Atlas with their geometric motifs, the urban carpet of Rabat, pieces from the Haouz, a contemporary room and a ‘masterpiece’ room for the finest pieces. You also see kilims, wool, silk or goat-hair pieces, lithographs by Jean Besancenot, and a short French documentary from the 1940s on weaving. Weavers work in front of you, and the visit ends with a tea on the terrace facing the medina.
A word of honesty. Many ‘carpet museums’ in the medina are in fact free showrooms that end in a high-pressure sale: this is not one. Entry is paid, the staging is careful, and the shop only sells craft items - not the carpets on display. Two caveats all the same: the place is very recent, and it was set up by a family of carpet dealers from the district, of which it is also the shop window. And no, this is not ‘the only carpet museum in Morocco’: that title belongs to Dar Si Said, which became the national Weaving and Carpet Museum in 2018.
On budget, know that the door entry comes in at about £7: the online ticket at £15 is more expensive, but adds the tea on the terrace and skip-the-line. Either way, it makes a solid stop before heading into the souks - you come out able to read a carpet, useful at the point of bargaining.
You learn to read a carpet before you buy one.
What to see - the highlights
Six rooms by region
From the Berber High and Middle Atlas to the urban carpet of Rabat: one room per major weaving region, plus a contemporary room and a masterpiece room.
Live weaving
Weavers work in front of you (morning and afternoon sessions). A hands-on workshop even lets you make a mini-carpet.
A 1940s documentary
A short French film from the 1940s on Berber weaving, with rare sequences.
The terrace
Moroccan tea or fresh juice on the roof, with a view over the medina (and the Atlas on a clear day).
When to go
The weaving demonstration starts around 10am, soft light on the terrace.
Useful for learning to recognise carpets before bargaining in the souks.
Indoor visit. The terrace is pleasant in spring and autumn.
Ticket & visit
Book ahead - useful during peak hours, when the queue can top thirty minutes.
Booking via GetYourGuide, our ticket partner. Indicative prices ; we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Visitor tips
In the morning, at opening (10am), for the weaving demonstration.
Coming with the idea of buying a carpet: the shop only sells craft items (cushions, objects), not the pieces on display.
- The door ticket runs about £7. The online ticket (£15) is more expensive but includes the tea on the terrace and skip-the-line.
- Worth doing before the souks: you learn the regions, the materials and the patterns, useful for judging a carpet later.
- The national carpet museum is Dar Si Said: the two complement each other.
Location & access
Inside the medina, in the Laksour district, minutes from Mouassine and the souks. Access on foot through the alleyways. The entrance is at the end of a derb.
