Except for a small central area, the Menara Gardens are really more an olive grove and orchard than a park. The gardens aren't a huge tourist attraction, but they do offer a break from the hustle and bustle of town.

The gardens were established by the Almohads in the twelfth century, using khettara waterways (as in the Agdal Gardens), and a central reservoir, to irrigate olive and citrus groves. In the sixteenth century, the Saadians, had the gardens revamped, with a minzah (pleasure pavilion) next to the reservoir.

The minzah (pavilion) is quite photogenic, especially on a clear day with the Atlas mountains behind it. If you’re very lucky, you might even get in a plane taking off or landing at the adjacent airport. It really isn’t worth paying the 70dh fee to enter the minzah however, as there isn’t anything much inside it. The building you see today isn’t the original Saadian one, as it was rebuilt in 1869 under Mohammed IV, who used it as a summer house.