The Menara gardens

The Menara gardens

Marrakech is renowned for its beauty, its souks which attract an immense crowd. To recharge your
batteries, you can go to a magical place, the Menara gardens. Located 45 minutes from the center of the city of Marrakech, it is a real haven of peace, restful and calm. The Menara gardens are composed of an olive grove, a pond and a small building, a pavilion built at the end of the 19th century by a sultan. This park of about ten hectares was created in the 13th century, and the basin is fed by water which comes directly from the Atlas through a channel. This basin is used to irrigate the park's plantations, and especially the olive trees in the olive grove. From the terrace of the pavilion, a breathtaking view of the city of Marrakech is offered to visitors.

The Menara Gardens in Marrakech, Morocco, are one of the most attractive tourist spots in Morocco, especially to attract local visitors to enjoy the attractive nature and escape the summer temperatures.

In Marrakech, there is a very popular place, both for locals and foreigners - in the Menara Gardens. The Menara Gardens offer great attraction and refreshing comfort as a privileged place to welcome guests while enjoying the beautiful Moroccan atmosphere.

The Menara gardens are a privileged site, appreciated by the inhabitants of Marrakech who love to walk there. This corner of freshness is very pleasant on hot summer days. Sometimes they are also a party place, with fireworks or folk performances. Olive trees, cypresses and palm trees adorn this park, which has been around for centuries. It is possible to walk freely in the park, and even to swim in the pool of the Menara gardens. The park closes at 6 p.m., so plan your tour of the park in advance to take advantage of every moment.

To get to the Menara gardens, there is the possibility of walking there because they are at the gates of the city. It is about 2 km from the Medina, and it takes about 45 minutes from Jamaa El Fna square. But this solution can be difficult in the height of summer under the sun, so in this case a taxi is ideal. In the city of Marrakech, there are many taxis that drive tourists, it is always advisable to negotiate the price to get to the most beautiful places in the city so as not to pay very expensive. Taxi drivers can also become attentive guides, just pay them for the day to discover the many treasures of Marrakech. The Menara gardens have for centuries been the perfect place for a peaceful stroll, away from the crowds of central Marrakech.

History of the Menara Marrakech Garden:

The creation of the gardens of La Mereza in Marrakech dates back to the 12th century, during the reign of the Almohad dynasty, at the request of King Abdelmoumen Almohade to serve as a training ground for soldiers for swimming and to create a place conducive to life residents as orchards for agriculture.

Al-Menara Park is one of the oldest gardens in the Islamic West and its early historians date back to the reign of Almohad Sultan Abdelmoumen Ben Ali. The pawn indicates that the founder of the Almohad state, on his return from Salé in 1157, had planted Lake Marrakech, a large orchard surrounded by a fence and equipped with a huge reservoir to store large quantities of water intended for watering trees and vegetables.

For his part, the author of the foresight indicates that Abdelmoumen, in the west of the city, in the direction of Nafis, planted a garden in front of his palace, which suggests that it was 'a Menara garden and its large cistern.

The great need for water for irrigation was blocked by the Almoravid technique created by the Almoravids since the 10th century and adopted by their united predecessors who developed the network of surface canals. According to the prayer owner’s son, the completion of this park was carried out by scientist Haji Ibn Yaish. In addition to its multi-purpose role, the water tank was used to train members of the Almohad army in swimming in preparation for the passport to Andalusia.

During the Saadiyya period, the sources refer to the lighthouse garden in 1579, where the princes repaired and reused it as a place of rest. Later, the Sultan of Alawi, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah, built the current wing, including a rest and rest cabin.

The building is surrounded by a rubble wall. It consists of two floors and is topped by a traditional pyramid roof covered with green tiles. The basement dedicated to the harem and the servants is made up of four tall columns and open rooms. It leads to a balcony overlooking the water pond leading to a high terrace. They offer a superb and complete view of the garden and the cistern. The arch that leads outside has inscriptions bearing the praises of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the date of its construction in 1286 AH (1869-1870 AD).

The decoration of the building is made up of overlapping friezes of geometric elements painted on the walls and polychrome wooden ceilings, as well as multicolored shapes and zigzags.

The Menara Park offers the typical and classic form of the Moroccan royal gardens, similar to those of the Agdal gardens in Marrakech, the Souani cistern in Meknes and Jnane El Sabil in Fez. But it seems difficult to make a comparison with the majority of the tanks of the city of Kairouan in Tunisia, which does not resemble it from the point of view of the form or the mode of preparation and construction. It seems more likely to seek its origins and sources of influence in gardens and the main sources of water in Andalusia, especially Granada and Cordoba.

As you sink into the lighthouse garden, it is full of surprises. In fact, it is a time capsule that takes you back through centuries testifying to the succession of kings and dynasties, while this building is always facing changes to become a facet of the city and a pride of the inhabitants of Marrakech.