La Sultana, Marrakech – The Terrace is the Largest Rooftop in the Medina

La Sultana, Marrakech: A Hidden Passage from the Bustling Streets into Another World of Quiet and Fragrance, Winding Past Courtyards and Pools to the City’s most impressive Rooftop

La Sultana, Marrakech – The City’s Largest Rooftop Terrace Spans Five Riads

It’s now confirmed: La Sultana boasts the largest rooftop terrace in Marrakech. Covering nearly 2,000 square meters, the rooftop stretches over five interconnected riads, linked over time as the property gradually acquired each one and opened passageways to merge them into a single grand estate. In 2024, they marked twenty years of operations and ongoing restoration.

By definition, a riad is built around a central courtyard: arcades on the ground floor, balconies and terraces on the first level. At La Sultana, these structures are historic, tracing back ten centuries and encompassing three royal dynasties of Marrakech. The traditional terracotta roof tiles are glazed in green—dipped before the final kiln firing—so they sparkle with a reflective, glossy finish.

La Sultana, Marrakech – Entering from the Street: A Brick-and-Mortar Corridor

La Sultana sits just beyond the edge of the Souk, about a fifteen-minute walk from the “Red Square” (Jemaa el-Fnaa), where snake charmers tease their hissing vipers. The entrance to the main street is little more than a narrow gap between ordinary buildings along a busy commercial road bustling with people and cars. Yet the moment you step inside this small opening, it feels like taking a breath of tranquility. Shadows envelop you, and urban clamor fades away within a few steps.

You first pass through a corridor shared by other residential buildings, leading to La Sultana’s private entrance. This modest doorway transports you into a different dimension: a hushed atmosphere where a long hallway guides you toward the central riad. Along the way, you might notice a stone basin overflowing with red roses. At the heart of the courtyard stands a pool framed by brick-and-mortar columns. The bricks here are wafer-thin terracotta slabs—barely two centimeters thick—bound by layers of mortar twice as deep, a locally typical construction method ideal for thermal insulation. A small bow window highlights these architectural details.

La Sultana, Marrakech – Mosaics, Carved Wood, Contemporary Design, and a Maze of Courtyard

The largest riad among the five that are composing La Sultana: at the center a lush broad-leaf plants rooted in moist soil, concealing a fountain hewn from stone. Mosaics of blue, green, and red on white tile adorn additional basins, and vivid green ceramic pieces accent the space. In one corner, an ornate wooden portal opens to a private study. Billowing curtains in a warm, earthy red hue soften the light.

Nearby, a small alcove houses a staircase with a carved stone banister. The walls here are finished in horizontally layered paint—white, blue, and orange—an artistic nod to Moroccan tradition fused with contemporary design sensibility. This same modern flair appears on the first-floor loggia, where an abstract geometric fireplace is set among an African art collection. The rooms overlooking this loggia continue the African theme.

During a first-time walk through La Sultana, the labyrinthine layout only adds to the sense of having entered a secret refuge, a contrasting “second dimension” to the bustling world outside. Shade and light play together to intensify colors and reveal intricate details at every turn. The scent of wax used to care for the many wooden surfaces mingles with the Neroli fragrance that permeates the entire property, a scent that grows stronger as you approach the most intimate riad. There, deep beneath its foundations, you’ll find a warm indoor pool surrounded by stone columns.

La Sultana, Marrakech – A January Visit, the Month of Oranges

January in Marrakech is the season of oranges and mandarins. Across the city, trees hang heavy with fruit—so laden that it seems impossible for them to bear a single orange more. Dotted throughout the streets and gardens, the trees give the entire city a festive air, making Winter possibly the best time to visit—though some might argue May, when roses are in bloom. 

Holding these oranges in your hands, they seem ready to burst with juice—an experience of pure flavor that many of us have forgotten. They’re meant to be peeled and eaten in segments, not just squeezed (if you do want juice, insist it’s pressed fresh, on the spot—never pre-squeezed one our ago). Fruit in Morocco is a cornucopia of rich tastes: bananas, strawberries that resemble apricots in size, pears, dried figs, pistachios. A glass of thick almond milk here needs no sugar—just the dense creaminess of ground almonds. Dates come stuffed with walnuts instead of pits.

La Sultana, Marrakech – Sunset over the Medina from the Rooftop Terrace

La Sultana’s rooftop and courtyards are home to a verdant collection of palms—hundreds of species, in fact. Palms have existed on Earth for over 85 million years, and according to biblical tradition, the Archangel Michael allowed Adam to bring only 30 plants from the Garden of Eden—one of which was the Palm. Whether for coconuts, dates, or woven fibers, Palms are a resource in both agriculture and craftsmanship.

From the rooftop, the sun sets just beyond the Medina, revealing the city’s many facets. A stork’s nest perches on a nearby chimney, and the terrace itself is a hanging garden reminiscent of ancient Babylon, with potted flowers, roses on tables, umbrellas, canvas canopies, and steel fireplaces to warm winter evenings. There’s a rooftop pool, though the water here stays quite chilly. A small tower off the terrace houses a billiard room; another tower contains a gym.

Tables line the emerald roof tiles of the white riad at La Sultana, where white walls in gypsum, stone, and lime are decorated with carvings. A tall cactus—nearly four meters high—rises beside these furnishings, accentuating the interplay of architecture and nature.

Finding La Sultana: The View from Above

La Sultana is tucked behind a historic mosque; from the rooftop, you can appreciate the mosque’s imposing structure. In turn, the mosque stands near the remnants of the Royal Palace of El Badi – an archaeological site with reflecting pools and gardens of roses and orange trees. El Badi reveals a stark, almost minimalist grandeur—bare earth, open to wind and light, stripped of its former adornments yet rich in atmosphere.

Carlo Mazzoni