Opening of the newly renovated “Jardins de Lahboul”
After years of renovation, the magnificent “Jardins de Lahboul” are now fully renovated and open to the public. At Riad Lahboul, we are lucky to have a fantastic view of the gardens from our roof terraces.
We have two bedrooms on the terrace, the double “Berber” room and the twin “Green” room. Please contact us directly for more information about booking these rooms.
On the 16th of May, 2024, Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, inaugurated the historic Lahboul Park in Meknès.
On this occasion, Princess Lalla Hasnaa unveiled the commemorative plaque before following explanations on the heritage of the main park in Meknes, which has been restored to its full splendour following a complete renovation coordinated by the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment as part of a partnership with the urban municipality of Meknes, the Directorate General of Local Authorities, the Prefecture of Meknes, the Regional Council of Fez-Meknes and the National Agency for Water and Forests.
Lalla Hasnaa also received explanations about the fountain and the seguia, the fountainworks, the ancestral irrigation system of the city of Meknès and the water lily pond, and the species of birds in the aviary, the sports area and the chess area, as well as the ‘Fountain-Water’, ‘History of the columns’, ‘Enigma of ecosystems’, ‘Ecosystems/Aromatic plants’ and ‘Plant biodiversity’ modules.
The Princess also followed a presentation on the Lahboul mobile application, which can be accessed via the link https://jardinlahboul.ma.
Founded in 1906, Parc Lahboul, where the people of Meknes can once again enjoy strolling and relaxing, is a large five-hectare area in the heart of the city, shaded by trees and palm trees over a hundred years old, with magnificent terraces created on the slopes of Oued Boufekrane, giving it the air of a suspended park.
The last terrace, at its lowest point, is 400 metres long and offers a plunging view of the valley at the bottom of which the waters of the wadi flow. The rehabilitation of this park, which is intended to be an inclusive space that also offers a platform for sporting activities, has been carried out in accordance with one of the Foundation’s key principles in its renovations: respecting the history of the site and the intentions of its creators.
The careful layout of the terraces has also been respected and reinforced. Their coherent alignment runs parallel to the course of the wadi and is strikingly reminiscent of the layout of the Meudon terrace, of similar length, built in 1690 by André Le Nôtre, Louis XIV’s gardener. This layout makes it possible to appreciate the full length of the valley, while at the same time offering a diagonal view to the north over a vast landscape and the Saïs plain.
For this remarkable part of the city that Sultan Moulay Ismaïl made his capital, the restoration work involves redesigning the park’s pathways, installing fountains and ponds, restoring the open-air terraces, arranging the aviaries, restoring the planting and the surrounding walls and railings. In the spirit of the Foundation, the parks and gardens are still places for raising awareness of environmental protection. An educational trail has been set up for this purpose. It is made up of information and awareness points, the design of which was the subject of an ideas competition launched by the Foundation as part of its mission to raise awareness and educate students at the National School of Architecture (ENA) in Fez about sustainable development.
This initiative is part of a process of experimentation and evaluation of the creative potential of young students at ENA, while at the same time giving concrete expression to their commitment to the environment and sustainable development. Over thirty budding architects have come up with innovative, interactive modules to enhance this educational approach. The modules on the educational trail cover a number of themes, including ‘History of the Garden’, ‘History of Roman Columns’, ‘Fountain-Water’, ‘Enigma of Ecosystems’ and ‘Ecosystems/Aromatic Plants’, as well as ‘Plant Biodiversity’, ‘Shade Garden’ and ‘Insect House’.
