Historic Marrakech Garden Faces Neglect and Misuse, Activists Warn

Presence of "kiosks", illegal buildings and installations... The famous Jardin de la Ménara in Marrakech gives way to a landscape of desolation. This historic site, founded in the 12th century by the Almohads, has turned into a refuge for people urinating in public and an open-air dump, while Morocco is required, under the 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Heritage, to preserve the sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, such as the medina of Marrakech, which houses the Ménara monument, reports Achkayen.

Those who have built kiosks and buildings there are violating urban planning and heritage protection laws, particularly the law on the protection of historic buildings. In the eyes of a human rights and civil society actor, the construction of buildings within the historic garden is a "crime" that undermines the identity and cultural depth of the site. A thoughtful investment in this tangible heritage would have allowed the Ménara to be transformed into a more attractive tourist destination, like Jemaa el-Fna square, he believes.

According to the official, the presence of "kiosks" and anarchic constructions scattered throughout the garden does not encourage the influx of tourists, whether Moroccan or foreign. They would not come to the minds of visitors coming from cities like Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier, or even international capitals like Paris, London and Madrid, to go to the Ménara just to take photos next to neglected and unsanitary kiosks and buildings. Faced with this desolate observation, he calls for establishing responsibilities.