- Jardin Majorelle, a two and a half acre garden outside of the Marrakech Médina in Morocco, was designed in 1920 by the French artist Jacques Majorelle.
- For almost 40 years, Jacques cultivated 135 plant species from five continents within the garden complex. He also painted the garden’s buildings a deep shade of blue that he later trademarked as ‘Majorelle Blue’.
- Jacques died in 1962 and the gardens fell into disrepair. In 1980, when Yves Saint-Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge found out that the gardens were likely to be bulldozed, they purchased them and set about restoring the Jardin Majorelle to its previous glory. The pair decided to live in a building in the garden complex, which they named the Villa Oasis.
- Yves Saint-Laurent died in 2008 and his ashes were scattered in the rose garden of the Villa Oasis.
- The gardens, which are open to the public, are now home to a large collection of cacti and sculptures. The Berber Museum is also on the grounds, a museum which features a collection of Jacques’ paintings.
Check out my blog here for other great things to do in Marrakech!
The Jardin Majorelle was such a stark contrast to the chaos of Marrakesh. Why I enjoyed it, it felt a bit out of place and a bit inauthentic, for lack of a better word. But that in of itself is a cultural experience. Thanks for sharing!
Agreed – it’s a lovely haven in the middle of the madness!
Great that they helped to preserve the garden! Those spaces are important.
Absolutely! Plus it’s such a nice respite away from the madness of the Medina 🙂