Behind a cobalt-blue wall in Marrakech hides one of the most photographed gardens in the world. The Jardin Majorelle is a maze of bamboo, cacti and water-lined paths, dominated by a blue so intense it took the name of its creator.
A Painter’s Garden
The garden was created in 1931 by the French painter Jacques Majorelle, who moved to Marrakech and built his own studio-house here, surrounding it with plants gathered on his travels: Mexican cacti, Asian bamboo, palms, water lilies. For the garden’s buildings and architectural elements, Majorelle chose a shade of blue so distinctive that it was later trademarked and became known worldwide as “Majorelle blue”.
The Meeting with Yves Saint Laurent
After Majorelle’s death in 1962, the garden fell into neglect. It was Yves Saint Laurent, together with his partner Pierre Bergé, who rediscovered it in 1966 during a stay in Marrakech: the couple fell in love with it, and in 1980 decided to buy it, saving it from a demolition project and restoring it with the help of landscape designer Madison Cox. Saint Laurent lived for years in the garden’s villa, renamed Villa Oasis. Since 2010 the garden has belonged to the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, which oversees its conservation.
A Stop on Our Journey Through Morocco
The Jardin Majorelle is one of the stops on our Authentic Morocco: from Marrakech to Fez tour, eight days in a small group from 1 to 8 October, between the blue of Marrakech, the dunes of Merzouga and the tanneries of Fez.
