Amanjena (meaning "peaceful paradise") is a luxury hotel and resort in Palmeraie, a southeastern suburb of

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, Morocco. Built-in 2000, it was the first Aman Resort on the African continent. In May 2015,

David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

celebrated his 40th birthday at the hotel.

Background

Amanjena is situated in

's Palmeraie, along the road to

Ouarzazate Ouarzazate (; , ), nicknamed ''the door of the desert'', is a city and capital of Ouarzazate Province in the region of Drâa-Tafilalet, south-central Morocco. Ouarzazate is a primary tourist destination in Morocco during the holidays, as well as ...

, just outside Morocco's UNESCO-protected city of Marrakech in an area where the river valleys of

Draa :''Dra is also the abbreviation for the constellation Draco.'' The Draa (, ; also spelled Dra or Drâa, in older sources mostly Darha or Dara, ) is Morocco's longest river, at . It is formed by the confluence of the Dadès River and Imini Ri ...

and Dadès merge with the

Sahara desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

. The resort is set in the backdrop of a hill which rises to a height of , in the surroundings of an olive orchard of the Almoravid period. There are views of the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. They separate the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range, which stretches around through M ...

. The 2010 movie ''

Sex and the City 2 ''Sex and the City 2'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''Sex and the City','' which was based on the 1998–2004 HBO television series of ...

'' was filmed at Amanjena. In May 2015,

celebrated his 40th birthday at the hotel, along with guests

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, List of restaurants owned or operated by Gordon Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has ...

and

Tana Ramsay Cayetana Elizabeth "Tana" Ramsay (née Hutcheson; born 23 August 1974) is an English TV broadcaster and author of several cookery books. Early life Cayetana Elizabeth Hutcheson was born in Croydon, South London, United Kingdom, and raised on a f ...

, David Gardner and

Liv Tyler Liv Rundgren Tyler (born Liv Rundgren; July 1, 1977) is an American actress. She began her career as a model before making her film debut in '' Silent Fall'' (1994). She went on to receive critical recognition and attention after her starring ...

, the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; born March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, director, and businesswoman. After several guest roles on television, she became recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS day ...

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

David Blaine David Blaine (born David Blaine White; April 4, 1973) is an American magician, mentalist, and Endurance art, endurance performer. Born in New York City, Blaine became interested in magic at a very young age. He gained prominence in 1997, when h ...

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

and

Vanessa Feltz Vanessa Jane Feltz (born 21 February 1962) is an English television presenter, broadcaster, and journalist. She has hosted numerous versions of her own chat shows and appeared on various television shows, including ''Vanessa'' (1994–1998, 202 ...

Amanjena

Amanjena was designed by the architect

Ed Tuttle Edward Burnham Tuttle Jr. (August 11, 1945 – June 21, 2020) was an American architect and interior designer best known for his works of hotel architecture. Among his most celebrated works is the Amanpuri hotel in Phuket, for which he was credi ...

, and was built over a period of two years. Tuttle was inspired by his trips across Morocco and southern Spain, with the Spanish Alhambra palace and 12th-century Menara Gardens purportedly being inspirations. and The

Moorish architecture Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture that developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). Scholarly references on Is ...

is in the Arabic/Moroccan traditional style, consisting of 32 pavilions and seven houses ("maisons"), with contemporary interiors. The design incorporates the Moorish building practice of pise, packed-earth structures, such as is incorporated in the nearby

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

village structures. The color scheme matches the Red City buildings of Marrakesh. The structure is of stone, pale peach in color, with pink, honey and sage green paint colors used throughout the building. The massive entry door emulates that of an ancient Arab civilization. Amanjena has a very large lobby in the Moorish style, and features jade-coloured fountains. The lobby is patterned on the lines of a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

, an

Ogres An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world. ...

suggestive of the

Mezquita A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

, the

Mosque of Cordoba A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

, with colonnades which open into waterfronts. Other features include sandy clay roofing, two-story lounges, internal patios which face fountains, arches, chiseled pillars, glazed Moroccan tiles, and a frieze of

ziggurat A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude'), ( Persian: Chogha Zanbilچغازنجبیل) is a type of massive ...

design. Various decorating techniques are used, such as ''écaille de poisson'' for the

zellige Zellij (), also spelled zillij or zellige, is a style of mosaic tilework made from individually hand-chiseled tile pieces. The pieces were typically of different colours and fitted together to form various patterns on the basis of tessellations, ...

and ''plâtre ciselé'' for the walls. The rooms are decorated with Berber rugs and lanterns and have high ceilings. Eight pavilions have their own private garden oasis and pool, while the other six offer views of the main pool. The dwellings are modeled after traditional Moroccan townhouses. A library and two restaurants are available at Amanjena. The main restaurant has a 6 metre (20 ft) high roof and 80

onyx Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...

pillars, while another restaurant serves

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...

. Aside from the large pool, there is a gym and a spa with a

hammam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

, sauna, and steam room.

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Amanjena official site
{{Aman Resorts Aman Resorts Hotels in Morocco Buildings and structures in Marrakesh Hotels established in 2000