Borj Nord Arms Museum

Jewel-encrusted daggers and inlaid rifles line the Borj Nord Arms Museum, a fortress built in 1582 at the behest of Saadian Sultan Ahmed El Mansour Eddahbi.

The Borj Nord was constructed during the Saadi dynasty in the late 16th century to keep a watchful eye over the Moroccan city of Fes.

This palatial structure was converted into an armory museum in 2016, and today, it exhibits some 5,000 weapons, from a 12-ton cannon used in the infamous mid-16th century Battle of Three Kings to the nearly 800 military items in the museum’s collection and archival photography.

Thirteen rooms inside the Borj Nord Arms Museum display an expanse of a historic armory, much of which was dedicated by royalty and includes rare artifacts from Morocco and around the world.

Even if spectacular weaponry isn’t your beat, the museum is well worth a visit for arresting views of the Fes Medina from the magnificent Merenid Tombs. Across the valley, the fortress of Borj Sud—the southern counterpart of the Borj Nord serves as an equally imposing military monument.

Update: The Borj Nord Arms Museum is temporarily closed.