Pavilion and pool
Marrakech's icon.
EL HOUCEIN OUAKOUZ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Werner100359 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jean-Marc Astesana from Voisins le Bretonneux, France — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mzximvs VdB from Brussels, belgium — CC BY-SA 2.0 · محمد بوعلام عصامي — CC BY 3.0 · Dortiti عبد الله فكري — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Werner100359 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Miguel Hermoso Cuesta — CC BY-SA 3.0
Historic gardens and orchards west of Marrakech, laid out by the Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min around 1157 and listed with Marrakech's medina and the Agdal Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The gardens surround a large water basin that served as a reservoir to irrigate the olive groves around it, fed by an ancient system of channels and underground khettara conduits bringing water from the Atlas foothills. Beside the basin stands a small pavilion with a green pyramid roof, in its present form from the nineteenth century. The pavilion reflected in the water, with the Atlas peaks snow-capped behind it in winter, has become one of the best-known images and symbols of Marrakech. People come to stroll among the olive trees and sit by the basin in the evening, away from the bustle of the city. Entry to the gardens is free, while the pavilion has a small ticket through the Ministry of Culture. The loveliest time is just before sunset on clear days, when the Atlas stands out sharply.
Marrakech's icon.
Snowy peaks in winter.
A quiet stroll.
West of the medina, Marrakech
Mostly on clear winter days, when snow caps the peaks and the air is clean after rain.