Module 084 · Landscape Intelligence
Gardens of
Morocco
Four gardens. The chahar bagh principle. Khettara engineering. A thousand years of water, geometry, and paradise made visible.
001 — The Gardens
Four Gardens
Agdal Gardens
حدائق الأكدال
c. 1157 (Almohad, expanded under Abu Ya'qub Yusuf from 1163)
Almohad Caliph Abd al-Mu'min, expanded by Abu Ya'qub Yusuf. Engineer: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Milhan (Andalusi-Berber origin)
500 hectares — almost the size of the city itself when built
Royal productive orchard & pleasure garden
1985
Royal agricultural estate. 500 hectares — almost the size of the city itself when built. The Almohad vision: a city should equal its gardens in size. The combined surface of the Agdal and Menara equalled the Almohad capital.
Khettara system: 45km underground channel network drawing from the High Atlas water table (Ourika River basin). Two massive reservoirs: Dar al-Hana (208 × 181m, capacity 83,000 m³, rammed earth with lime and gravel) and al-Gharsiyya (with a 16m square island and pavilion at centre). Water redistributed via gravity-fed ditches. A modern khettara was dug in 1932–33 but still insufficient for the growing city.
3,000+ ancient olive trees in a perfect geometric checkerboard (10m grid). Orchards of orange, lemon, pomegranate, fig, apricot, peach, almond, walnut, date palm, elderberry, myrtle, cypress. Each sub-garden cultivates a single species — strict Hispano-Mauresque rationalism. Paths lined with single rows of olive trees at 10m intervals. Vine cultivation (wine historically consumed at some royal festivities despite taboo).
Dar al-Hana — palatial pavilion on the south side of the largest reservoir. North gate integrated into an observation pavilion (menzeh) rising above. Dar el-Beida — modest palace still used by the Alaouite royal family when in residence. The entire estate is enclosed by high walls. "Agdal" is Berber for "meadow enclosed by a stone wall."
Legend says Almohad soldiers practised swimming in the great reservoir before crossing the Mediterranean to conquer Andalusia.
Royal property. Open to public on Fridays and Sundays (when king is not in residence). Far fewer tourists than Majorelle or Menara.
The Gardens — Mapped
002 — The Geometry
Design Principles
Chahar Bagh (Four-Fold Garden)
چهارباغ
Garden divided into four quadrants by water channels intersecting at a central fountain or pavilion. From Qur'anic descriptions of paradise with four rivers (water, milk, wine, honey). Persian origin, transmitted through the caliphates to the Maghreb via Al-Andalus.
Le Jardin Secret (Marrakech). The Alhambra's Generalife and Court of the Lions. The Taj Mahal gardens.
Water as Sacred Element
الماء
"We made from water every living thing" (Qur'an 21:30). In Marrakech — gateway to the Sahara — water is sacred luxury. Every village centres on a fountain for ablutions. In the garden, water is channelled, displayed, heard. Pools reflect sky and architecture.
Menara's reflecting pool. Agdal's 83,000 m³ reservoir. Majorelle's marble channels. Jnan Sbil's zellige fountains.
Enclosure (Hortus Conclusus)
الجنان المسوّر
Walled garden. "Agdal" means "meadow enclosed by a stone wall" in Berber. Chaos outside, order within. The wall also provides shade, thermal regulation, and wind protection in arid climates.
Agdal's massive enclosing walls. Jnan Sbil between the ramparts. Riad courtyard gardens throughout the medinas.
Geometry & Order
الهندسة
Strict geometric organisation. Trees planted in grids (typically 10m). Paths intersect at right angles. Sub-gardens rectangular. Each plot cultivates one species. The Hispano-Mauresque "productive garden" tradition: rationalism serving both beauty and agriculture.
Agdal's 3,000 olive trees in geometric checkerboard. Menara's 10m grid orchards. Jnan Sbil's symmetrical pathways.
Shade & Sensory Experience
الظل والحواس
Gardens engage all senses: sight (geometry, colour, reflected light), sound (flowing water, birdsong), smell (jasmine, orange blossom), touch (cool air, stone, water), taste (orchard fruit). Shade is as designed as sunlight. Canopy layers: tall palms above, fruit trees in middle, ground cover below.
Majorelle's chromatic intensity. Jnan Sbil's fragrance garden. Agdal's layered orchards producing fruit for the royal table.
Productive Beauty
الجمال المنتج
No contradiction between beauty and productivity. Orchards are gardens. Agriculture is art. The Almohad vision was strategic: food self-sufficiency through engineering. The reservoir irrigates the orchard which feeds the city.
Agdal's 500-hectare working orchard. Menara's olive groves still producing. The Palmeraie's three-tier oasis agriculture (palm canopy, citrus middle layer, ground crops).
The garden is not nature. It is nature submitted to geometry, and geometry submitted to water.
003 — The Engineering
Water
Systems
Khettara
خطارةUnderground gravity-flow channels that bring water from the High Atlas aquifers to the city. Morocco's version of the Persian qanat. Tunnels dug at a steady gradient — no pumping required. The Agdal's khettara network stretches 45 kilometres from the Atlas water table.
Vertical shafts dug at intervals for access and ventilation. Water flows by gravity along a gentle slope. The system is entirely passive — no external energy source. Some khettaras in Morocco are over 1,000 years old. The Almoravids built the first in Marrakech (early 12th C). The Almohads expanded and systematised them.
Seguia
ساقيةSurface irrigation channels distributing water from reservoirs to orchards. In Fez, seguias from the Oued Fes powered craft workshops and irrigated gardens simultaneously.
Open or partially covered channels, lined with stone or rammed earth. Flow regulated by gates and sluices. Distribution follows communal calendars — traditional water-sharing systems respected by all communities.
Noria
ناعورةWater wheels that lift water from rivers to higher channels. Jnan Sbil has two historic norias. The wheels are powered by the river current — no external energy. Ancient technology imported from the Levant and adapted across North Africa.
Wooden or metal wheel with buckets/scoops. The river turns the wheel; buckets fill at the bottom, empty at the top into an aqueduct. The restored noria at Jnan Sbil is a major heritage feature of the garden.
Sahrij (Reservoir)
صهريجMassive above-ground water basins that store water for year-round irrigation. Built above ground level so gravity distributes water without pumping. The Menara's basin: 195 × 160m. Agdal's Dar al-Hana basin: 208 × 181m, capacity 83,000 m³.
Constructed from rammed earth mixed with lime and gravel. Watertight through the tamped earth technique. The above-ground elevation is deliberate: gravity-fed distribution eliminates the need for mechanical lifting. The reservoirs also serve aesthetic, recreational, and military purposes.
004 — Chronology
Twelve Centuries
of Gardens
Almoravids build first khettara systems in Marrakech under Ali bin Yusuf (1105–1143), establishing the underground water infrastructure that would support all future gardens
Marrakech becomes capital of the Almohad Empire (encompassing the entire Maghreb and Al-Andalus)
Almohad Caliph Abd al-Mu'min creates both the Menara Gardens (west of city) and initiates the Agdal Gardens (south). A revolutionary urban vision: the total garden surface equals the built city surface
Abu Ya'qub Yusuf expands the Agdal. Builds the great reservoir (Dar al-Hana basin, 208 × 181m). Uses it as model for basins in Rabat and Seville's Alcázar
Saadian dynasty restores Marrakech as capital. Builds pleasure pavilion at Menara. The golden age of Hispano-Moorish garden architecture in Morocco
Sultan Moulay Abdallah creates Jnan Sbil Gardens in Fez — a royal domain with underground passage to the palace. Arab-Andalusian tradition transplanted to the spiritual capital
Alaouite sultans Moulay Abd ar-Rahman and Muhammad IV restore both Menara and Agdal. Replant orchards, restore water systems, rebuild the Menara pavilion (completed 1870)
Jnan Sbil opened to the public — no longer royal-only. Morocco's first major public garden
Jacques Majorelle purchases a palm grove in Marrakech and begins planting
Majorelle creates his trademark cobalt blue (bleu Majorelle, #6050DC) and transforms the garden buildings. Opens to public in 1947
Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé buy Jardin Majorelle, saving it from hotel developers. "We were seduced by this oasis where colours used by Matisse were mixed with those of nature"
UNESCO inscribes the Medina of Marrakech — including Agdal and Menara Gardens — as World Heritage Site
Princess Lalla Hasnaa launches rehabilitation of Jnan Sbil: four-year restoration of 3,000 plant species, ancient hydraulic systems, norias, seguias, fountains. Reopened 2011
Musée Yves Saint Laurent opens next to Jardin Majorelle. Villa houses Berber Museum with 600+ artefacts
005 — By the Numbers
Key Numbers
Agdal Gardens — almost the size of Almohad-era Marrakech itself. The largest historic garden in the city. 3,000 olive trees in a geometric grid
Capacity of the Dar al-Hana reservoir at the Agdal. Rammed earth mixed with lime. 208 × 181 metres. Built in the 12th century. Still standing
Majorelle Blue — the trademarked cobalt that defines Jardin Majorelle. Inspired by Moroccan tiles and Tuareg blue veils
Year the current Menara pavilion was completed — on ruins of a 16th-century Saadian original. Green pyramidal roof, horseshoe arches, zellige
Jnan Sbil — Fez. "Jnan" from "jannah" (paradise). 3,000 species. Underground passage to the Royal Palace. Free admission
Jardin Majorelle. One hectare. Created by a painter, saved by a couturier
Sources
Agdal Gardens, Menara Gardens, Majorelle Garden, Jnan Sbil Gardens, Sintir. Comprehensive historical chronologies, reservoir dimensions, water system descriptions
Agdal Gardens Marrakech. Hispano-Mauresque productive garden typology. Khettara network engineering. Basin al-Manzeh dimensions and construction
World Heritage Site inscription 1985: Medina of Marrakesh including Agdal and Menara Gardens. Criteria and significance
Agdal and Menara Gardens. Reservoir engineering. Qanat/khettara systems. Garden grid dimensions
Official Jardin Majorelle history. Jacques Majorelle biography. YSL and Bergé acquisition. Berber Museum. Madison Cox garden redesign
Majorelle Blue origins. Visitor statistics (900,000/year). 300 plant species from five continents. Berber Museum details
Jnan Sbil rehabilitation project (2006–2010). 3,000 plant species conserved. Hydraulic system restoration. Princess Lalla Hasnaa patronage
"The Garden Strategy of the Almohad Sultans." 45km khettara network. Three-tier oasis agriculture. Almohad urban planning philosophy