Palmeraie (palm grove) is a palm oasis of several hundred thousand trees outside of

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

, Morocco. Situated at the edge of the city's northern section, it measures in length, and covers an area of . It is known for its eponymous palm trees and resorts, as well as the Palmeraie Rotana Resort, and Nikki Beach. It is approached on the Circuit de la Palmeraie, which branches off from the N8 highway to

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

History

Although legend mentions that this Palmeraie was created from date seeds cast off centuries ago by Arab warriors, it was created during the Almoravid period, using a '' khettara'' network. The ancient tale (more than 1000 years old) refers to this garden of palm trees as "the ardent children of the African earth and sun". Sultan Yussef Ben Tachefine, while searching for land to establish his Almoravid dynasty had camped at the plain of

Haouz Al Haouz ( ar, إقليم الحوز) is a province in the Moroccan economic region of Marrakesh-Safi. Its population in 2004 was 484,312. The major cities and towns are: * Ait Ourir * Amizmiz * Ghmate * Lalla Takarkoust * My Brahim * Sidi A ...

. His soldiers, who had camped there, after consuming palm-dates had thrown the date seeds around and some of them had dropped into holes created by the lances which they had pitched there, and these sprouted into trees. Many centuries later the same plain had become an

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

of a lush garden of 50,000 trees. Here, Stuart Church, an American architect and designer, and Jaoud Kadiri created their dream project of building an edifice of oriental culture and Buddhist philosophy, which they called the

Dar Alhind Dar or DAR may refer to: Settlements * Dar es Salaam, the largest city of Tanzania and East Africa * Dar, Azerbaijan, a village * Dar, Iran, a village People * Dar (tribe), a Kashmiri tribe in India and Pakistan * Aleem Dar, Pakistani cricketer ...

, which is a mansion which permeates the spirit and traditions of India. Now there are over 100,000 date palms, as well as olive and fruit trees. In the present day, nearby reservoirs and artesian wells supply the irrigation. In the town planning norms of the 1920s, buildings were not allowed be built to heights taller than the palm trees and as a result palm trees have grown in pavements also. However, in recent years urbanization has affected the area.

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History

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