Jardin Majorelle

Jardin Majorelle, also known as the Majorelle Garden, is a 2.5-acre botanical and artist's garden in Marrakech, Morocco. It is famously associated with the fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent. The garden's origins trace back to 1917 when Jacques Majorelle, the son of a renowned Art Nouveau furniture designer, arrived in Marrakech. In 1923, he bought a plot of land and built a Moorish style house, later adding a Cubist villa in 1931. Majorelle began cultivating an elaborate garden with over 135 species of plants from five continents, alongside his passion for Orientalist painting. The garden's signature shade of blue, known as bleu Majorelle, has been patented.

After Majorelle's death in 1962, the garden was neglected until Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé discovered and purchased the property in the 1980s. They renovated the Art Deco house and garden, preserving Majorelle's vision and adding more plants, including cacti, ferns, and palms from around the world. They also installed an automated watering system and water features like a lily pond to create a peaceful retreat.

The garden became a source of inspiration for Saint Laurent, and after his death in 2008, Bergé donated the villa and garden to their Paris-based charitable foundation, reopening it to the public. Today, Jardin Majorelle is a vibrant oasis in Marrakech, featuring a mix of exotic plants, water features, and the iconic blue villa. It houses a Berber museum with over 600 Islamic artifacts collected by Saint Laurent and Bergé, and a small art gallery and gift shop. The garden is a popular tourist attraction, celebrated for its beauty, tranquility, and historical significance​