Yves St Laurent and Pierre Berge in Marrakech

Sadly the great Pierre Berge passed away on the 8th September 2017, he will be sadly missed in Marrakech.

In 1966 Yves St Laurent and Pierre Berge were visiting Marrakech. They were enthralled by the contrasts and the views of the Atlas Mountains. It was on this visit that they purchased their first Moroccan home. Dar el Hench ( house of the serpent) was the starting point of a long love affair with Marrakech, a love affair which endures.

In 1980 Yves and Pierre purchased the Jardin Majorelle, they had previously visited regularly and enjoyed the plant collections. They considered the gardens an intensely poetic space. Pierre and Yves continued to welcome visitors to their newly acquired paradise, believing that things should be shared and seen to truly exist.

Yves’ genius for design brought iconic aspects to the garden over time, including the addition of the now famous Majorelle blue paint. This splash of intense indigo blue breathed a new lease of life into the space. Visitors love and appreciate the contrasts, of colours, of energy and of styles. Yves and Pierre had successfully gifted the joy of the contrasts which drew them to the red city. The Majorelle gardens continue to develop, and a museum on the site is one of the finest in Morocco. A new museum showcasing the fashion design story of Yves is due to open this year. Visitors flock to this beautiful place, many frequent visitors to Marrakech return frequently to experience the gardens in different seasons, or simply to bathe in the beauty of the intensely intimate and personal place.

A perfect way to visit the gardens is to ask for a caleche ( Horse and carriage) to collect you from the Medina, and drop you outside the gardens. This is a wonderful part of a half day tour of the city allowing you to view the walls and the Hivernage area of Marrakech and then return to the Medina. Our staff at any of our four beautiful riads by Marrakech riad will be very happy to arrange this for you. Please ask a day ahead to allow them to make a reservation for you.