Jnan Sbil Gardens

Jnan Sbil is the old royal garden of Fes, laid out under the sultans and later given to the city as a public park, then closed for years and reopened after a full restoration. It sits in the valley between the two walled quarters, watered from the river, and it is arranged in avenues: rows of tall palms, ficus and bamboo, formal beds, and a chain of basins and channels with a small lake at the centre. It is the one place in Fes where you can sit under trees in silence a few minutes from the medina, and Fassi families use it in exactly that way in the late afternoon.

History

Sultan Hassan I (reigned 1873-1894) created the gardens in the 19th century, when he built the walls that joined Fes el-Jdid to Fes el-Bali for the first time, placing them in the corridor between the walls together with new summer palaces such as Dar el-Beida. At first they were reserved for the royal elite and linked to the Royal Palace by an underground passage; they opened fully to the public in 1917, and after years of neglect were renovated between 2006 and 2010 at the initiative of King Mohammed VI and reopened in 2011 (Wikipedia, Jnan Sbil Gardens).

What you'll find

• The palm avenues - long formal rows of tall palms and ficus.
• The water basins - the central lake and the channels that feed the beds.
• The bamboo grove - dense shaded planting along the lower paths.
• The medina walls - views up to the ramparts on either side of the valley.

When to go

Late afternoon is when the garden comes to life and the heat drops; spring is the best season, with roses and citrus in flower. Summer middays are hot even in shade. The garden keeps set opening hours and has been known to close on one day of the week, so check the gate before planning your day around it.

Practical notes

It is a city park rather than a botanical collection, and the labelling is minimal. Sections look tired between maintenance rounds and the water in the basins is not always clean. Benches fill quickly in the evening. It is worth an hour as a break from the medina rather than a destination in itself, and there is nowhere to buy a drink inside.

Nearby

Bab Bou Jeloud and the Fes el Bali medina are minutes uphill, and Fes el Jdid lies on the other side.

Key facts