Jnan Sbil update

The gates are open ... but you can't go in. Not yet, anyway.

The Jnan Sbil gardens on the north-western edge of the medina were always a favourite place for Fassis, where lovers and retired people could while away the hours among the palms, eucalyptus, weeping willows, citrus trees and bamboo. The park was opened to the public by Moulay Hassan in the 19th century. Two rivers - the Oued Fes with its water wheel - and the Oued Jawahir (river of pearls) flowed through the garden and there were three cafes. On the western edge near Bab Makina, the Nouria Cafe is still open and is a very pleasant place for tea or lunch. A broken-down waterwheel is still visible from the cafe.

But over the years, the gardens fell into disrepair and became not such a good place to go. A few years ago, ADER (the Agency for the Dedensification and Rehabilitation of the Fes Medina) was tasked with renovating the Borj and the walls surrounding the gardens. The Borj is now a museum of the natural environment and attracts lots of school groups, and the walls have been completed.

Renovated garden walls

The Mohamed VI Foundation for the Environment is now tackling the renovation of the gardens themselves. Directed by architect Rachid Haloui, this demanding project consists of three or four separate parts. The first two parts are expected to be completed by the end of October this year. These comprise the Andalous garden and the bamboo sections which are the oldest plantings of the garden and the most interesting. M Haloui reports that it has been extremely difficult to cope with the lack of water these days, even for the existing plants.

It doesn't look like the gardens will be open any time soon, but The View from Fez is looking forward to having the city's green lung restored and open for the public's enjoyment.

the central layout so far ...

photo credits: Helen Ranger

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news