Marrakech gardens old & new

My previous post featured a 19th century Moroccan palace of small rooms and many courtyards, with intricate patterned surfaces, scented plants, trickling fountains and a sense of intimate ease. This post now describes two very different gardens in the same city – one a vast ruin and the other a modern icon. The Badi palace [...]

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Gardens of paradise

In Marrakech, gardens are havens of peace, a refuge from the noise, toil and heat of the city. Enclosed, geometric, with cool splashing water and fragrant blossoms, they have long been perceived as places where mortals can experience paradise on earth. They differ from Western designs that value movement through gardens; instead these are places [...]

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Moroccan patterns

We spent the past week in Marrakech. It was my first taste of North Africa; I had expected the earthy smells and colours, the noise, the warmth of the February sun. What took me by surprise was the intricacy of the city – its wooden fretwork, filigree tinware, calligraphy, mosaic tiles, the plasterwork like piped [...]

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