走进马拉喀什麦地那(Medina)那座迷宫般的旧城,耳边是摩托车的轰鸣和商贩的吆喝,这种喧闹往往让人透不过气。但只要走进穆阿辛路(Rue Mouassine)121 号那扇不起眼的窄门,你会发现世界瞬间安静了。这座占地将近 4000 平方米的秘密花园(Le Jardin Secret)曾是萨阿德王朝时期的显赫宫殿,在荒废数十年后于 2016 年重新对外开放。相比于人头攒动的马若雷勒花园(Jardin Majorelle),这里更能让你看清摩洛哥传统园林的内核。
这座宅邸的历史最早可以追溯到 16 世纪,也就是摩洛哥辉煌的萨阿德王朝时代。到了 19 世纪中叶,当时的摩洛哥权臣重建了这里,使其成为了马拉喀什社会生活与政治角力的中心。然而到了 20 世纪下半叶,由于继承权复杂,这片土地一度被分割给 130 多名继承人,沦为堆满垃圾和临时棚屋的废墟。现在的花园是历经八年精密修复的结果,修复者参考了古老的手稿和考古发现,尽可能还原了当年的奢华风貌。
进入园内,你会首先穿过异域花园(Exotic Garden)。这里汇集了来自世界各地的耐旱植物,从巨大的龙舌兰到造型奇特的仙人掌,像是一场小型植物展。而核心部分则是正宗的伊斯兰花园(Islamic Garden)。它严格遵循四分园(Chahar Bagh)设计,这种布局象征着《古兰经》中描述的天堂:由水渠交汇成十字,将绿地均分为四块。园中种植着象征生命力的无花果树、橄榄树、枣椰树和石榴树,即便是在盛夏四十多度的高温里,这里的体感温度也比围墙外低好几度。
花园之所以能在干旱的马拉喀什维持生机,秘密全在地底下。你可以看到复原后的坎儿井(Khettara)灌溉系统。这是一项起源于波斯的古老工程,通过重力作用将远在阿特拉斯山脉(Atlas Mountains)的地下水引向城市。在秘密花园里,你能亲眼看到这些清澈的水流如何通过大理石渠道精准地流向每一棵树。这种对水的克制与尊重,是摩洛哥文明中最让人动容的部分。说真的,当你蹲下来听那汩汩的水声时,才能真正感受到沙漠绿洲的意义。
秘密花园里矗立着一座 17 米高的红色塔楼。由于老城里除了宣礼塔外很少有高层建筑,这座塔楼成了俯瞰麦地那屋顶的最佳观测点。登上塔顶,你可以看到远处白雪皑皑的阿特拉斯山脉,以及近处库图比亚清真寺(Koutoubia Mosque)的轮廓。虽然需要额外购买 40 迪拉姆的塔楼票,但考虑到这里的视野比大多数网红 Riad 露台更广阔,这笔钱花得并不冤。要注意的是,为了安全起见,塔楼禁止 6 岁以下儿童攀登。
这里的成人门票目前是 100 迪拉姆,对于 24 岁以下的年轻人(记得带护照证明)则有 80 迪拉姆的折扣。虽然秘密花园的游客量大约只有马若雷勒花园的八分之一,但由于内部空间紧凑,建议你在早上 9 点 30 分开门时就入园。那时候阳光斜射在祖母绿色的琉璃瓦(Bejmat)上,光影效果最好,拍出来的照片也最透亮。如果你不打算登塔,去二楼的萨里吉咖啡馆(Café Sahrij)坐坐也是个好选择,点一杯薄荷茶,视角同样很棒。
在麦地那导航是件头疼事。最简单的办法是找穆阿辛清真寺(Mouassine Mosque),花园就在它附近。如果你看到街道上方挂着深绿色的导向旗帜,跟着走就对了。由于花园离著名的本尤素福神学院(Ben Youssef Madrasa)步游距离不到 10 分钟,你可以把这两个点排在同一个上午。逛完花园,下午正好去周边的露天市场(Souks)杀价,这一天的行程会非常顺路。
通常不需要。虽然官网提供了在线购票通道,但现场售票处的排队时间通常不会超过 10 分钟。对于散客来说,直接到现场购买 100 迪拉姆的门票即可,只有在摩洛哥旅游旺季(如 4 月或 10 月)才建议提前预订以确保万一。
花园的主路面平整,主要区域都设有坡道,对行动不便者和推婴儿车的家庭非常友好。但要留意,通往 17 米高塔楼的通道只有狭窄的阶梯,这部分无法使用轮椅,且由于安全限制,6 岁以下儿童无法登塔。
如果你只是走马观花拍个照,大约 45 分钟就能逛完。但如果你想在凉亭里坐会儿、仔细看看那个坎儿井灌溉系统的原理展示,或者在二楼咖啡馆喝杯咖啡,建议预留 1.5 到 2 小时。这里的环境非常适合在密集的行程中间用来节奏缓冲。
Indigo Greens A nice place to visit and get out of the hustle and bustle of the streets. 100dh entry each. Perhaps on the high side as its only small and the tower costs extra. We wandered around taking pics for about 45 mins just taking our time. It was nice to relax and take photos.
Nali Verse (insta) If you look for places to visit, than this one pops up. However, after being here I'd definitely could say it's a tourist trap. Entrance fee is 10 euros. However the garden is tiny and the variation of plants is limited to a few bigger species. A normal garden would even be able to provide you with more biodiversity. The architecture is nice, but definitely not different from other parts of the city. So nice on pics, good place to take pics, but not worth the 10 euro fee. Maybe 1/2 euros at best. See pics below.
Sonia A The garden is absolutely gorgeous but in my opinion the fee was quite steep for what you get especially if you just want to go in and grab a coffee and have a sit. It was relatively quiet when I was there and the water features and plants were lovely.
Miles Macdonald What a beautiful dual garden, although a bit pricey at 100 MAD, I think it's worth it. I spent all morning here, plenty of shaded places to see and listen to the bird song. A distinctive smell permeates the air from a flower I couldn't identify but is spread throughout the garden. The irrigation system is fascinating; water coming from the Atlas mountains under a gravity system via underground channels dug a thousand years ago. For an extra 40 MAD you can have a guide take you up the tower for the best views in Marrakesh. The tower doesn't look that high but only the minarets of the mosques are higher. I recommend coming early, ideally at opening time. This place is popular and gets very busy by late morning with queues for the ticket office
ma What a beautiful place! This place has a curated garden with plants from all over the planet. There’s plenty places to sit and there’s even a cafe. Because of how popular it is, we almost didn’t go because the line up at opening time was quite long. I would avoid peak times and target end of day to cool down and have a tea in the shade. The garden is not huge but it’s two squares and a basin as well as a tower with a view. You could take time to sit down and soak in the beauty of the landscape against the Moroccan architecture.