Agdal is a historical concept in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, referring to gardens or farmland owned by the

Makhzen Makhzen (Arabic: , Berber: ''Lmexzen'') is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servants ...

or the community, and forbidden to the public, whether permanently or during certain periods. Nowadays, the name is used for areas in some Moroccan cities such as Rabat, Fes, Marrakech and Meknes, which had historically been protected gardens, going back at least to the

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...

era in the 12th century. The word ''Agdal'' comes from

Amazigh language The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...

, and means either "garden" or "protected grazing land", usually surrounded by a fence and forbidden to the public. Many places called "Agdal" today, especially within urban areas, were originally grazing lands for government-owned horses. In general, the term "Agdal" has the connotation of something private or forbidden.

Agdals in Morocco

* Agdal is an urban community in Rabat, Morocco. *

Agdal Gardens The Agdal Gardens (or Aguedal Gardens) are a large area of historic gardens and orchards in Marrakesh, Morocco. The gardens are located to the south of the city's historic Kasbah and its royal palace. Together with the medina of Marrakech and the ...

is a garden area in Marrakech, Morocco. * Agdal is an urban community in Fes, Morocco. * Agdal is an urban community in Meknes, Morocco.

References

History of Morocco Agdal Moroccan Arabic words and phrases {{Morocco-hist-stub