One of the largest and oldest riads in the Marrakech medina. The origins of the complex can be traced back to the time of the Saadian dynasty, over four hundred years ago.
Rebuilt in the mid-19th century by an influential Atlas kingpin, the Secret Garden has been the home of some of the highest political figures in Morocco and Marrakech. The riad, which we can fully appreciate today thanks to its recent restoration, is part of the great tradition of Arab-Andalusian and Moroccan palaces: the visitor can thus discover the gardens and the buildings which compose it and which constitute as many exceptional testimonies of the art of Arab gardens, architecture and hydraulics. Thanks to the thousand-year-old and ingenious hydraulic technique of the khettara, Le Jardin Secret had indeed from its origin domestic water, a rare privilege and an additional sign of its wealth. The riad’s original water system has also been restored: the “water routes” clearly show the way in which water from the Atlas was distributed inside the palace to irrigate the gardens and supply the kitchens, the hammam and the fountains.