Around the Pillars of Hercules: The Age-Old Ties between Morocco and Spain

Under the distinguished patronage of HM Felipe VI, King of Spain, and HM Mohammed VI, King of Morocco

Organised by: Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport (MCD), Museo Arqueológico Nacional (MAN), Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and Fondation Nationale des Musées du Royaume du Maroc (FNM)

With the support of: Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) and Amigos del Museo Arqueológico Nacional (AMAN)

Curators: Abdelaziz Elidrissi, Director of the Musée Mohammed VI d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, Rabat, and Eduardo Galán, Chief Curator of the Prehistory Department at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional

Horario de visita:

• Martes a sábado: 9:30 – 20:00
• Domingos y festivos: 9:30 – 15:00.

Entrada gratuita.

Dosier de la exposición

Visita autónoma en grupo

De martes a viernes (excepto 12 de octubre). Entrada gratuita

Grupo: Mínimo 8 - máximo 20 plazas (incluido responsable de grupo)

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Actividades relacionadas. Más información y reservas

• Visitas guiadas
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The central theme of this exhibition is the mutual acknowledgement of the neighbourly relations that have linked Morocco and Spain throughout history. Aside from recent bilateral relations on the state level, especially since the 19th century, the two neighbours have often been quite friendly, although there have also been moments of tension and even conflict from time to time. Yet contact between people on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar—a place the ancients called the Pillars of Hercules, where the known world ended—has always been marked by productive cultural exchanges more than politics.

Their geographical location, with one foot in the Atlantic and the other in the Mediterranean, has defined the cultural evolution of both lands. This duality and liminal position, on the outer edge of the lands charted by man before the dawn of the early modern era, has shaped the personality of two nations that have always been connected, regardless of the circumstances in which they interacted.

This exhibition offers a unique chance to take a closer look at those relations and cultural exchanges over the millennia, initially established in the absence of political states and later influenced by external powers, such as Phoenician and Punic colonists, and even under the imperial aegis of classical Rome and the subsequent expansion of Islam.

It is also an unprecedented opportunity for Spanish audiences to see some of the greatest Moroccan archaeological treasures, items that have rarely left Morocco and are visiting Spain for the first time. These one-of-a-kind pieces and important artefacts form the core of an exhibition where we can see ourselves reflected in the parallel and often shared history of our neighbours across the Strait.

The show features a total of 335 pieces, half of them loaned by museums in Rabat, Fez and Tétouan that belong to the Fondation Nationale des Musées du Royaume du Maroc, and the other half owned by the National Archaeological Museum, as well as a stellar exhibit from the collections of the Museo del Prado.

After an overview of the geography and timelines of the territories on either side of the Strait, the exhibition narrative traces the evolution and changes in these relations over the course of four major periods, from prehistory to the modern era, ending with the present moment of scientific collaboration among Spanish and Moroccan archaeologists.