The Menara Gardens
The Menara garden is one of the oldest gardens in the Muslim West. Ancient authors attribute its first development to the Almohad sultan 'Abd al-Mu'min ibn 'Alî (r. 1130-1163). According to al-Baydhaq, the founder of the Almohad dynasty, on returning from Salé in 1157, had the bouhaïra planted in Marrakech, a huge enclosed orchard with a large basin for storing large quantities of water intended for drinking. irrigation of fruit trees and vegetables within the enclosure. The author of al-Istibsar reports that 'Abd al-Mu'min planted to the west of the city in the direction of the Neffis a garden which was to be near the palace, the door of which almost faces the Menara basin, which could correspond to this inner basin of the Caliph's garden.
The water needs of these spaces were satisfied thanks to the underground drains (Khettara), dug according to a technique initiated by the Almoravids from the XNUMXth century and adopted by the Almohades, which enriched the network of superficial pipes. The creation of these gardens, according to Ibn Sahib Assalate, is attributed to Hajj ibn Yaïch, scholar and legislator of the Almohad Empire. In addition to its utilitarian and recreational functions, this pool was used to train Almohad soldiers in swimming, in preparation for crossing the Mediterranean to Andalusia.
Under the Saadians, the Menara garden was mentioned by authors in 1579. The princes reused it by creating a pied-à-terre there. The Alaouite sultan Sidi Muhammad ibn 'Abdallâh had a pavilion built there with a belvedere which served as a place for walks and rest. The building and its small garden are surrounded by a high adobe wall. Its thick stone walls have angle chains made of fake bricks. It is covered with the classic pyramidal roof of green tiles. The building consists of two levels. A ground floor for domestic use is occupied by four massive pillars and preceded by an avant-corps of three arcades overlooking the basin; the upper level is accessed by a narrow and steep staircase. The upper floor has a large balcony with balustrades resting on the avant-corps and dominated by a blind arch pierced by a low door. The key of the arch is made of a stone motif topped with a band bearing an inscription where one can read a famous quotation in honor of the prophet Muhammad and the date of 1286 of Hegira (1869- 70).
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Sustainable
Practical information
Price:
70 DH Adult
Accompanied children under 12 years old 30 Moroccan dhs
(Public price 10 DH Adult – 10 DH Children)