One of the most defining and spectacular experiences of our trip to Morocco was undoubtedly a visit to the Jardin Majorelle. We spent an entire morning in this magical place, whose vibrant colors, lush vegetation, and deep blue buildings were like a painter’s palette brought to life in the heart of the desert city. .
The garden’s history began in the 1920s, when French painter Jacques Majorelle moved to Marrakesh and purchased the land. The artist wanted to create not only a home but also a botanical masterpiece, so he collected rare plants from all over the world. He spent nearly forty years refining the structure of the garden, where he created small ponds and winding paths among the cacti, palms, and bamboo groves.
The garden’s most iconic element is its unmistakable, intense cobalt blue color, which Majorelle himself developed and trademarked as Majorelle Blue. He painted his studio and the decorative elements in the garden with this color, which creates a striking contrast with the yellow window frames and the bright green of the plants. The painter opened the garden to the public in 1947, but after his death the property fell into neglect and was threatened with decay.
The garden’s salvation is thanks to the world-famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé. They fell in love with the place in the 1960s and, when they learned in 1980 that the area was going to be demolished to make way for a hotel complex, they bought the estate. They restored its original splendor and even further enriched the plant life, so the garden has once again become one of the most important cultural points in Marrakesh.
Today, the Jardin Majorelle is not only a botanical garden, but also a memorial to Yves Saint Laurent, as the designer’s ashes were scattered here in the rose garden. The former painting studio is now home to the Berber Museum, where we could admire the impressive jewelry and costumes of the indigenous people of Morocco.
