Le Jardin Secret in Marrakech: two Saadian gardens behind a doorway on Rue Mouassine

Walking along Rue Mouassine, in the neighbourhood of the same name in the medina of Marrakech, you pass a doorway that gives nothing of itself away. A few metres of ochre-coloured wall, a plaque, and just beyond it the ceaseless flow of carts, mopeds and souk vendors. Behind that doorway is Le Jardin Secret: a riad-palace with two inner gardens, reopened to the public in 2016 after a restoration begun in 2008.

History of the palace

The origins of the site go back to the late sixteenth century, when the Saadian sultan Moulay Abd-Allah reorganised the Mouassine quarter. The original palace was destroyed by the end of the seventeenth century and rebuilt in the mid-nineteenth century by Kaid al-Hajj Abd-Allah U-Bihi, keeping the Saadian layout. In the early twentieth century the property passed to al-Hajj Muhammad Loukrissi, chamberlain of the sultan Moulay 'Abd-al-Hafiz, who added pavilions, gardens and a tower up until his death. Then came the long decline, until the restoration carried out by Italian and Moroccan teams, which also rebuilt the ancient khettara water system that still feeds the pools.

The two gardens

The two gardens are visited one after the other and are very different. The first is the Islamic garden, laid out according to the geometry of the chahâr bâgh: four sectors divided by water channels that cross at the centre, with orange and olive trees. It is a classic plan, readable at a glance, where water is at once decoration and structure. The second is the Exotic Garden, designed by the British landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith with drought-resistant plants gathered from various parts of the world: freer, almost experimental. Between the two you pass through the halls and pavilions of the palace, with painted ceilings and the zellige typical of Moroccan architecture.

The tower

The reason it is worth climbing is the tower, seventeen metres high, roughly as tall as the neighbourhood's minarets. Historically it served as an observation point and for communicating with smoke signals. Access is paid separately (about 40 dirhams on top of the entrance ticket) and involves a narrow staircase of about 85 steps. From the top you can see the minaret of the Mouassine mosque, the uneven expanse of the medina's red rooftops and, on clear days, the profile of the Atlas in the background. It is one of the widest panoramic views of the historic centre, after the one enjoyed near the Koutoubia.

The visit is short: 45-60 minutes for the two gardens, around 90 if you add the tower, the café on the terrace and the room devoted to the restoration. It remains uncrowded despite being in the middle of the souk, in part precisely because the entrance is anonymous and many walk past without noticing it.

How to get there

How to get there: from Jemaa el-Fna square you head north along Rue Mouassine for about ten minutes on foot; the garden is not far from the Dar El Bacha side. It is open every day; the hours change with the season (generally from 9:30, closing between 18:00 in winter and 19:30 in summer, last admission half an hour before). Ticket prices vary slightly depending on the source, so it is best to check them on the official website before going. The tower is not accessible to those with mobility difficulties, whereas the gardens are.