Menara gardens
Marrakech, Morocco
Menara gardens
The Menara Gardens (Arabic: حدائق المنارة) are a historic public garden and orchard in Marrakech, Morocco. They were established in the 12th century (circa 1157) by the Almohad Caliphate ruler Abd al-Mu'min. Along with the Agdal Gardens and the historic walled city of Marrakesh, the gardens have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The gardens are laid out around a central water basin and reservoir, next to which is a pleasure pavilion dating in its current form from the 19th century. The reservoir and its pavilion, often framed in pictures against the background of the High Atlas Mountains to the south, are considered one of the iconic views and symbols of Marrakesh.: 282
The origin of the name Menara for the gardens is not firmly established. The name's first appearance (as Sahrij al-Manāra) in historical sources is in 1579, during the Saadian period.: 196 The Arabic word menara (منارَة) variously means "minaret", "lighthouse", "lantern/beacon" or other elevated structures of the kind. It is often suggested that this refers to the two-story pavilion standing on the edge of the main reservoir. However, other historians, such as Gaston Deverdun, have suggested that the name could date from as far back as the Almohad period (long before the current pavilion's construction) and that it may be an allusion to the minaret of the Kutubiyya Mosque to the northeast, which was founded and begun under Abd al-Mu'min's reign and with which the gardens were more or less aligned.: 197–198
Accommodations near Menara gardens
Jade Golf City
see price.
Nearby Tours & Activities
Opening times
| Monday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Thursday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Friday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Saturday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Sunday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Guests' reviews
Loved it! The sun was scorching hot but it was fun all the same! Beautiful place! Definitely a must visit!
Nice place to visit, there are small kiosk where you can buy cold drink. Before visit have some water with you it's very hot here specially a warm day. The view is simply superb and highly recommend for those who love to take pictures. Have fun :)
I don't know how this got so many stars. It's not that clean, there's a big reflecting pool that's a bit dirty. Maybe if you can find parking nearby it's worth a five minute walk. There are some cheap souvenirs being sold. Definitely not the highlight of this city
A nice break in the hustle and bustle of Marrakech, the raised house offers a beautifull view of the sorrounding area and the atlas mountains far in the horison. Good place to let the kids run about.
Very beautiful garden with olive trees and a large central pool for the supply of trees. Amazing what was created here about 900 years ago.
Spacious garden.. nice for long walks and relaxing. Beautiful scenery, very peaceful. There is also a small place to get juice and snacks and tourist types of gifts while you are there.
So quiet and nice. Palm and olive trees, desert all around and wiew of Atlas mountain...inestimable!
This is a good place to relax and just chill out for little while from the hustle and bustle of the souks and tourists spots
We didn't see all but was worth a couple of hours visit . Quiet amble through the pathway lined with a few cafes and stalls selling sunhats, balls etc. The one dhop i did buy water eas treble the price than in the city centre but the small cafes reasonable if you barter... Tourists charged more than the locals. The attaction was the large enclosed pond ehere everyone bought bread to throw to the fish who poped up in shoal to feed. Pleassnt pkace to visit and relax under the trees wth a picnic.... No entry charge.
A lovely place to visit if you just want to go for a stroll and escape busy Marrakech for a while, very close to Menara Mall. On entering there are couple of small shops selling drinks, snacks and souvenirs. You can see the Atlas Mountains from afar and there is a small house next to a huge artificial lake you can visit, but it costs money if you’re a tourist. Overall really good to escape the typical tourist areas of Marrakech and sit down or have a walk.
