Agdal Gardens, Marrakech

Marrakech is often very hot and dusty and is always busy and noisy and after a while it’s necessary to escape and relax somewhere calm. Agdal Gardens is an excellent place for this.

The gardens cover an area of 400 hectares to the south of the Royal Palace. Agdal means walled meadow in Berber and the gardens have a pisé wall around them.

They were founded in 1157 as a private orchard for Sultan Abd al-Mu’min. They were renovated and enlarged in the 19th century during the Saadian Dynasty, which was when the wall was erected.

The oblong plots are full of apricot, fig, lemon, orange and pomegranate trees, linked by paths lined with olive trees.

There are several ponds and the whole area is irrigated by khettera – which are ingenious underground channels that bring water from the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas Mountains.

The largest pool is called the “Tank of Health” and was once used for teaching soldiers how to swim. Beside this pool you will see the minzah Dar el Hana, where various sultans would spend a few days during the summer months to escape the heat of the city. Another pavilion in the gardens is the Dar al Baida, which housed the sultan’s harem.