Majorelle Garden Marrakech
ad Majorelle is a French corner in the heart of northern Africa.
In 1919, the French artist Jacques Majorelle moved to Marrakech because of his health. And in 1924, he bought land on which he built a villa in Moorish style.
Jacques Majorelle, like Claude Monet, was partial to exotic plants and flowers. He maintained friendly and business relations with many botanists, financed their expeditions, and exchanged rare plant specimens.
The result of this passion and fantastic efficiency is an extraordinary botanical garden around the villa, with trees and exotic plants from all over the world: water lilies, coconut palms and banana trees, bamboo and yuccas, a variety of cacti, fragrant jasmine and stunning bougainvillea. The magnificent garden was opened to the public in 1947, and for a nominal fee the artist allowed tourists to see his creation.
After the artist’s death in 1962, the garden was abandoned and the house was to be demolished. But in 1980, French couturier Yves Saint Laurent and his friend Pierre Bergé breathed new life into the place: they bought the grounds and took on the responsibility of restoring the garden and renovating Jacques Majorelle‘s house and studio.
South Asian bamboo in the Majorelle Garden
The new owners originally decided that the Majorelle Garden would be open to the public, and indeed, the park was not closed for a single day, even during the restoration and renovation work.
Yves Saint Laurent had many muses, including the scandalous Paloma Picasso, the enchanting Catherine Deneuve, the gentle Laetitia Casta, and a place of honor among the famous divas: “For many years now, I have found in the Majorelle Garden an inexhaustible source of inspiration, and I often dream of its unique colors and colors.
Exhibits in the museum
In the artist’s old studio there is now a museum of Berber culture, and here you can buy costumes made in the Moroccan tradition. Jacques Majorelle’s own works, engravings of kasbahs and sketches of Moroccan life, are also on display in the museum. And in the “Gallery of Love” there are posters of different years, the author of which is Saint Laurent.
Yves Saint Laurent posters at the Gallery of Love
Yves Saint Laurent willed to bury his ashes in the Mogerel Garden. Here he spent his happy years, the distinctive culture of Morocco inspired the artist and the saved garden gave serenity and peace. In 2008, the great couturier died, and the garden carefully recreated by him is unofficially considered another wonder of the world.
The Majorelle Garden is located on Rue Yves Saint Laurent, next to Rue Al Madina and Avenue Yacoub El Mansour. Take a cab or bus number 4: the nearest stops are Las Torres and Boukar-Majorelle.
Open to visitors every day throughout the year:
October 1 through the end of April from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m;
May 1 to the end of September from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm;
In the month of Ramadan from 9:00 to 17:00.
Cost: Admission to the garden 70 dhim and admission to the museum 30 dhim.
Website; www.marrakechtodesert.com
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