Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech

French colonialism complex

The gardens were originally created to surround the villa of French painter Jaques Majorelle, who, in 1923 decided to have a Berber-flavored mansion built.
The result is a harmonious complex capable of blending colors, decorative elements and a rich vegetation worthy of note. Indeed, today, the Majorelle Gardens are a celebrated example of a botanical garden capable of attracting many tourists.

The garden is divided into four main areas that can be reached through as many pedestrian paths. From the intersection of these, lush green areas are created, full of plantations and trees from all over the world.
The verdant complex includes the Majorelle Mansion, a large lily pond and smaller ponds inhabited by carp.
In addition, there are numerous types of palm trees and succulents and some architectural elements such as fountains and temples.

A characterizing element of the garden is the color “Majorelle Blue,” a particular cobalt blue hue used by the painter to paint the walls of architectural artifacts and decorative components.
Another distinguishing element is the “Zellige” tiles, carefully chosen to decorate the Majorelle mansion.

Upon the death of the aforementioned painter, there followed a period during which the garden remained unused, but in the 1980s fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent purchased the complex.
Numerous renovations of the mansion followed, which nevertheless retained the deep blue coloring typical of Berber village buildings.
Today, part of the said mansion has been converted into a museum suitable for housing traditional Moroccan objects and elements of Berber handicrafts.