Nicknamed the rose among the palms, the thousand-year-old city of Marrakesh is characterised by its pink-coloured pis architecture and its deeply rooted tradition for gardens and green spaces. The majority of historic sites are inextricable from their gardens or indeed
are historic green spaces: the huge royal orchard pleasure-gardens of the Agdal were described by Monty Don as of international cultural importance on a par with Versailles or Villa dEste. Scores of traditional riads and hotels like the Mamounia, created by the French in 1923 on the site of an eighteenth-century royal residence, offer splendid gardens to the visitor. Yves Saint Laurents Majorelle garden is an
icon of modern garden design.
