Nov. 26, 2024
Today is our last full day in Marrakesh, so we spent the day simmering in the city’s rich history by visiting everything from the Majorelle Gardens to the Saadian Tombs and the Bahia Palace.
Starting with the gardens. The Majorelle Gardens were originally built by French painter Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s. Designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Berge, bought it in 1980.
The gardens includes everything from cacti and bamboo, to banana trees, water lilies and giant agaves:
As you can imagine, the property is littered with waterways, wandering paths, gazebos and terracotta pots (i.e., tripping hazards for someone like me). Luckily, these adorable lights greet visitors at almost every turn:
To really pull the look together – buildings, fountains and pots throughout the gardens have been painted an intense cobalt blue. The color is Trademarked “Majorelle Blue” if you’re in the market:
After drinking in the tranquil beauty of the Majorelle Gardens, we headed across town to the Saadian Tombs.
The tombs were originally designed in the late 16th century by Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (the third ruler of the Saadian dynasty) to serve as the grand mausoleum for his ancestors (and to show off his wealth and power). However, the entrance to the tombs was sealed in the early 18th central by Sultan Moulay Ismail in the hopes of erasing the Saadian dynasty legacy.
Apparently, it worked.
The tombs were rediscovered in 1917 during the French Protectorate in pretty good condition, and the French authorities took steps to preserve, restore the tombs, and open them to the public:
From the tombs, we headed over to the Bahia Palace, which was originally built in the 1860s by Si Moussa, the grand vizier of the Sultan (think head minister), as a personal residence. Moussa‘s son, Ba Ahmed (also a grand vizier), expanded and “beautified” the property in the late 1890s. After Ahmed’s death, Bahia Palace became a royal residence.
The palace is decked out with everything from marquetry and zellij (tile work) to impressively intricate ceilings:
From there we headed back to our raid for a siesta. If you’d like to experience a little of what the city’s like, Steve made a video of the last five minutes of our walk:
https://gopro.com/v/8GwZVJ86NlZBL
All our love,
Tara (Steve, Sarah and Brad)
Tara’s Adventures 