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Dar Bellarj

Dar Bellarj is a cultural foundation housed in a riad in the medina, between the Ben Youssef Mosque and Madrasa. Bellarj means "stork" in Arabic: the house contained a fondouk that served as a hospital for birds and is still known as the House of the Storks. Between 1950 and 1985 it was used as a school. Susanna Biedermann and Max Alioth founded the institution in 1998 and it opened to the public at the end of 1999. Today it organises a different theme each year, with exhibitions, calligraphy demonstrations, art workshops and, during Ramadan, evening concerts in the central courtyard. The exhibitions are usually guided in French and Arabic. It is a few steps from the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Marrakech Museum.

Things to do at Dar Bellarj: 3 missions

• Find the door of the House of the StorksFind the riad's entrance on the medina street, halfway between the Ben Youssef Mosque and Madrasa.
• Step into the riad's central courtyardGo through the doorway and take in the courtyard around which the house is organised, where the Ramadan concerts are held.
• Tour the current themed exhibitionVisit the rooms of the current show and note down the foundation's annual theme.

Near Dar Bellarj

Source: Lonely Planet - Dar Bellarj