Thami El Glaoui
The museum is housed in the Dar Mnebhi Palace, constructed at the beginning of the 20th century by Mehdi al-Mnebhi. Al-Mnebhi was a "qaid" of the Mnabha tribe and the vizier (minister) of war under Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz, from 1900 to 1908, replacing Ba Ahmad as the sultan's favourite. Al-Mnebhi also had other residences such as the Mnebhi Palace in Fez. His Marrakesh palace was later seized by the family of Pasha Thami El Glaoui, the autocratic ruler of southern Morocco under French rule, while Mnebhi was out of the country and serving as ambassador in London. After Morocco regained its independence (1956), the palace was seized by the state and in 1965 it was converted to a girls' school. After a period of neglect, the palace was carefully renovated by the Omar Benjelloun Foundation and converted into a museum in 1997.