Palmeraie of Marrakech

The Marrakech palmeraie is said in tradition to have grown from date stones dropped by Almoravid soldiers, and it was in any case planted from the eleventh century and watered by khettara, the underground channels that brought water from the foothills - several hundred of them, dug and maintained by hand, which is what made a city possible on this plain. The grove covers about 14,000 hectares. Its condition now is the honest subject: the khettara have largely failed as the water table dropped with boreholes and urban demand, many palms have died or are declining, and much of the ground has been sold for hotels, villas and golf, so the grove is broken up between walled properties. What visitors do here is camel rides, quad tours and buggy circuits on the tracks, which are noisy and dusty and are not doing the remaining palms any good.

History

Legend says the grove grew from date stones thrown down by the soldiers of Yusuf ibn Tashfin when they camped on the Haouz plain, some landing in holes made by their lances; in fact it was created in the Almoravid period with a network of khettara channels, and today it holds over 100,000 date palms as well as olive and fruit trees (Wikipedia, Palmeraie (Marrakesh)).

Highlights

• An eleventh-century planting - the grove that grew with the city, watered by khettara.
• Failing water - the underground channels largely dry as the table dropped.
• Development between the palms - hotels, villas and golf breaking up the grove.
• Camels and quads - the standard visitor activities on the tracks.

When to go

October to April. Half a day.

What to expect

The grove is in poor condition and much of it is building land - it is not the oasis the name suggests. Quad and buggy noise and dust are constant on the tracks. Camel operators vary in how they keep their animals. Prices are agreed before starting, not after.

Nearby

Marrakech medina is south-west; the Ourika road runs south.

Key facts