The city of Rabat, capital of Morocco, is a Unesco World Heritage site, and the Jardins d’Essai Botaniques, literally meaning Gardens of Botanical Trials, was classified a national heritage site in 1992.

These gardens were created between 1914 and 1919, under a joint initiative of the sultan  Moulay Hafid and the French Protectorate. They were designed by one of my favorite garden architects, Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, best known for the Rose Garden and the Iris Garden of Bagatelle outside Paris, but who created gardens in Spain and Morocco in addition to his city planning work as a French public servant, laying out the plans for the modern cities of Morocco.

The gardens were reopened by the current King in 2013, following extensive renovations after years of neglect. They include over 650 species of plants, including rare varieties of tropical, sub-tropical, and succulents, and an arboretum.

The Jardins d’Essais are separated by a road into two distinct gardens.  the western side includes the Moorish garden and museum, while the eastern garden is a bit larger and more formal, with distinct garden areas for various types of plants.

Because there is a good bit to see here, I am dividing this into several posts, and this is the third post on the eastern gardens.

This is the largest part of the gardens, with a large promenade in the center starting from the main gate, and going up in terraces to culminate in a large series of ponds and fountains at the vey top, from which one is afforded sweeping views of the gardens. It is also the most formal part of the gardens, yet, in true Forestier style, intimate theme gardens are dotted along the sides.

An intricate arbor walk displays different varieties of climbers. An area is allocated to fruit tree with a country style orchard. There are also areas for pomegranates (of which the gardens grow no less than 18 varieties) and olive trees, rose, and palms.