HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa Inaugurates Renovated Lahboul Historic Park in Meknes

   On this occasion, HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa unveiled the commemorative plaque before following explanations on the heritage of the main park of Meknes, which has regained all its splendor after a complete renovation coordinated by the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection as part of a partnership with the Urban Municipality of Meknes, the Directorate-General of Territorial Communities, the Prefecture of Meknes, the Regional Council of Fez-Meknes and the National Agency for Water and Forests.

   Her Royal Highness also followed explanations on the fountain and the seguia, the fountain building, age-old irrigation system of the city of Meknes and the water lily pond, the species of birds in the aviary, the sports area and the chess game area, as well as the “Fountain-Water”, “history of columns”, “Enigma of ecosystems”, “Ecosystems/Aromatic plants”, “Plant biodiversity”, and the mobile application Lahboul available on https://jardinlahboul.ma/

   Founded in 1906, Lahboul Park, where the inhabitants of Meknes will enjoy anew the pleasure of walking and resting, is a large area of five hectares in the heart of the city, shaded by century-old trees and palm trees, with magnificent terraces created on the slopes of the Boufekrane river, which give it the appearance of a suspended park.

   The last terrace, at its lowest point, offers a 400-meter-long view overlooking the valley at the bottom of which the river waters outflow.

   The rehabilitation of this park, an inclusive area also offering a platform for sporting activities, was carried out in compliance with one of the essential principles of the Foundation in its renovations: respecting the history of the place and the intentions of its creators. The careful ordering of the terraces was also respected and reinforced.

   Their coherent alignment runs parallel to the course of the river and is astonishingly reminiscent of the establishment of the Meudon terrace, of similar length, built in 1690 by André Le Nôtre, gardener of Louis XIV.

   This arrangement allows visitors to appreciate the full length of the valley while offering a diagonal view towards the North over a large landscape and the Saïs plain.

   The rehabilitation works of this magnificent park in the city which Sultan Moulay Ismaïl made his capital, covered the redevelopment of park paths, the construction of fountains and ponds, the rehabilitation of the open-air stands, the development of the aviaries, the rehabilitation of plantations, walls and enclosure grilles.

   Parks and gardens are always, in the spirit of the Foundation, areas to raise awareness about environmental protection. An educational path has been set up for this purpose. It is made up of information and awareness-raising points whose design was the subject of an idea contest, launched by the Foundation as part of its mission to raise awareness and educate students on sustainable development, among the National School of Architecture (ENA) in Fez.

   This federating initiative by the Foundation is part of a process of experimentation and evaluation of the creative potential of young ENA students, while giving concrete expression to their commitment towards environment and sustainable development.

   Over thirty young architects came up with innovative and interactive module projects to enhance this educational approach.

   The modules on the educational path cover a range of themes, including “Garden History”, “History of Roman Columns”, “Fountain-Water”, “Enigma of Ecosystems” and “Ecosystems/Aromatic Plants”, as well as “Plant Biodiversity”, “Umbrella” and “Insect Hotel”.

   To safeguard this site of high heritage, cultural and historical value, the Foundation and its partners have initiated the registration of Lahboul Park as a national heritage site.

   Lahboul Park is the 6th of its kind to be rehabilitated by the Foundation as part of its program to restore historic parks and gardens.

   The Foundation began this program in 2005 with the restoration of Arsat Moulay Abdeslam in Marrakech, a magnificent eight-hectare princely garden close to the Koutoubia, followed the next year by the Exotic Bouknadel Gardens (2005) and its four hectares of lush gardens, Jnane Sbil in Fez (2010), a centuries-old garden, L’Hermitage Garden in Casablanca (2011) and its twelve hectares, as well as Ghabat Chabab in Marrakech in 2022, a 140-hectare area in the heart of the city.

   The Foundation has also been leading, since 2007, a program to safeguard and develop the Palm grove of Marrakech.

   Upon arrival, HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa was greeted by Chakib Benmoussa, Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication.

   Her Royal Highness was also greeted by Mohamed Faouzi, Wali, General Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Acting Director of Local Authorities, Said Zinber, Wali of the Fez-Meknes region, Abdelouahed El Ansari, President of the Fez-Meknes Regional Council, Abdelghani Sebbar, Governor of the province of Meknes, Hicham El Caid, President of the Meknès Prefectural Council, Jawad Bahaji, President of the Meknès Communal Council, and Ahmed Ghajaoui, Head of the Al Ismailia District.

   HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa was also greeted by Chakib Alj, President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Companies (CGEM), Pascal Lopez, landscape architect, and Nadia Esselak, Director of the National School of Architecture (ENA) in Fez, as well as members of the Board of Directors and partners of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection.