Old American Legation Museum

Lonely Planet review

Tucked into the southwest corner of the medina, the Old American Legation Museum is an intriguing relic of the international zone. The five-storey mansion straddling the street was originally a small stone building, given to the USA in 1821 by Sultan Moulay Suleyman. Morocco was the first nation to recognise the USA politically (look for the letter of thanks from George Washington to the sultan) and the diplomatic mission to Morocco was located here until 1961.

The mansion hosts an eclectic collection of Tangerine memorabilia. Among the many paints and prints on the ground floor, the intimate etchings by the Scottish artist James McBay and the lithographs of Yves Brayer are highlights. Upstairs houses a fine collection of old maps, and a few other curiosities - a hilarious letter from the US consul recounting his gift of a lion from the sultan in 1839, and another requesting foreign consulates fly their flag at half-mast following Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

A room dedicated to Paul Bowles and the Beat Generation features some wonderfully evocative photos of the likes of Tennessee Williams, William Burroughs, Truman Capote and an imperious Noel Coward. The legation is also home to an excellent research library focusing on the Maghreb.

To get here turn into Rue du Portugal from Rue Salah Eddine el-Ayoubi and enter the medina by the first gate on the left. Follow the road around a dogleg turn to find the door (on your left) in the covered passageway.