The Gardens of Marrakesh

Our experience of Marrakesh was that it is a relentlessly hot, dry, busy place full of bustle and dust, people and shopkeepers. However we did find moments, places of true tranquillity and some of these were gardens.

Right next to the confusion which is the Souks is the tiny entrance to the Le Jardin Secret or The Secret Garden. An old palace garden of a home owned by Morrocan politicians, it has been recently renovated and opened to the public.

It comprises two parts, one with exotic plants...….

and the other styled on Islamic patterns stipulated in the Koran...….

The second and more famous garden we visited was the Jardin Majorelle. This garden features the striking blue colour which has since been given the name Majorelle after the artist and original owner of the garden, Jacques Majorelle. He developed the garden over his lifetime but it fell into disrepair after he was forced to sell it at the end of his life.

Never letting art go to waste, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge 'discovered' the garden in the 1960s and purchased it in the 1980s. Their efforts to reinvigorate and reopen the garden are appreciated each day by bus loads of tourists who, like us, want a peaceful and inspiring moment while in Marrakech.

Marjorelle blue pot

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