Essais Botanical Garden, Botanical garden in Agdal, Rabat, Morocco
The Jardin Botanique d'Essais is a botanical garden in the Agdal neighborhood of Rabat, Morocco, running along Avenue de la Victoire and covering roughly 17 hectares. It holds more than 650 plant species from Morocco, tropical, subtropical, and desert regions, arranged in themed sections that include an arboretum of 44 tree species grouped into 27 families.
The garden was created in 1914 during the French Protectorate and designed by landscape architect Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, who also planned other green spaces across Morocco at the time. After closing for renovation in 2006, it reopened in June 2013 in the presence of the King of Morocco.
The Jardin Botanique d'Essais draws school groups and families who come to learn about plants and the natural world. Inside the grounds, a Moorish-style house holds a small museum with displays on water and light, connecting local architectural tradition with the garden's educational role.
The garden is closed on Mondays but open to visitors the rest of the week. Going in the morning or early afternoon gives enough time to walk through the different sections, including the arboretum, at a comfortable pace.
Since its early years, the garden has played a direct role in shaping fruit growing across Morocco by testing and introducing exotic fruit tree varieties that were then adopted more widely. Researchers from the national agricultural research institute still work on the grounds today, making it both a public garden and a working scientific site.
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