Issued under the archival title “BnF, département Cartes et plans, GE D-7427,” this official plan of Marrakech was produced in 1918 by the Service topographique du Maroc in Casablanca at the dawn of the French Protectorate. It is a quintessential city map, capturing the walled medina and its constellation of gates, squares, and thoroughfares with exacting topographic clarity while situating the city within the wide Haouz plain. The sheet distills a pivotal moment, when centuries-old urban fabric met the rational planning of a new regime. Its disciplined linework and lucid labels reveal both the enduring geometry of ramparts and gardens and the emerging arteries of administration and commerce—an invaluable portrait of Marrakech just after World War I, poised between tradition and modernity.

At the heart of the plan lies the medina, a dense lattice of alleys anchored by the great theater of Jamaa El Fna and the palace complex of La Bahia. The map articulates the defensive choreography of the walls and gates—Bab Debbagh, Bab El Khemis, Bab Rhemat, Bab Jowkkala, and Bab Er Roob—each a hinge between artisanal quarters and caravan routes. The Mellah is distinctly delineated, attesting to Marrakech’s layered social topography, while venerable gardens frame the southern and western horizons: the Agdal, with its reservoirs and orchards, and La Menara, with its celebrated basin and groves. As a city map, it excels in translating the medina’s lived geography—market squares, processional axes, and craft districts—into a legible, navigable plan.

Equally compelling is the counterpoint of the Nouvelle Ville, its gridded order stretching toward Gueliz and the modern road network. Broad, confidently named arteries—Boulevard de la Liberté, Boulevard Moulay Abdallah, Avenue de la Gare, and Rue Gueliz—announce the Protectorate’s urban program, while civic-minded toponyms such as Avenue de l’Université, Rue de l’École, and Rue de la Poste signal new institutions and services. The Route de Mogador extends the city’s reach toward the Atlantic, emblematic of an outward-facing commercial logic. Administrative precision is further underscored by the segmentation of the urban fabric into Secteur I through Secteur XI, a zoning lattice that contrasts sharply with the medina’s organic weave and makes this an especially revealing plan of early 20th-century urban governance.

The map also charts the technological frontier of its time: aviation. The Château de l’aviation, the Stade d’aviation, and Rue de l’aviation mark a nascent aerodrome complex, capturing the strategic calculations of a postwar era that prized speed, surveillance, and connection. Around the city’s periphery, named corridors such as Avenue d’Assas, Avenue des Princes, and Boulevard de la Paix, together with Rue du Palais, Rue de l’Hôpital, and Rue de la Rotonde, sketch a civic network fusing ceremony and service. Outlying localities—Targuia and the precincts of Sidi Youssef Ben Ali—are carefully placed, mapping the threshold where irrigated groves and villages yield to the expanding urban front.

Created by the Service topographique du Maroc—an office founded to support administrative and military planning—this plan marries rigorous survey technique with an almost literary sensitivity to place. Its precise topographic drafting, measured labeling, and methodical street nomenclature make it a primary source for understanding Marrakech’s evolution under the Protectorate: fortified gates controlling movement; sector boundaries encoding authority; boulevards channeling commerce toward rail and road; and gardens preserving dynastic memory. For historians, urbanists, and collectors, the map’s value lies in how it reads as both document and argument: a city of two tempos—the timeless medina and the engineered nouvelle ville—held in a single, lucid view.

Streets and roads on this map

• Avenue de la Gare
• Boulevard de la Liberté
• Boulevard Moulay Abdallah
• Rue Agdal
• Rue Bab Debbagh
• Rue Bab El Khemis
• Rue Bab Jowkkala
• Rue Bab Rhemat
• Rue Gueliz
• Rue La Menara
• Rue Nouvel Ville
• Rue Sidi Youssef
• Rue Ṭaḥṭī
• Rue Youssef Ben Ali
• Rue des Rêves
• Avenue des Princes
• Rue de l'aviation
• Avenue d'Assas
• Rue des Augustins
• Avenue de l'Opéra
• Rue de la Rotonde
• Rue du Palais
• Boulevard de la Paix
• Rue de l'École
• Avenue de l'Université
• Rue des Fleurs
• Rue de la Poste
• Avenue de la Liberté
• Rue de l'Hôpital

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Agdal
• Bab Debbagh
• Bab El Khemis
• Bab Rhemat
• Bab Jowkkala
• Bab Er Roob
• Château de l'aviation
• Jamaa El Fna
• La Bahia
• La Menara
• Mellah
• Nouvelle Ville
• Route de Mogador
• Secteur I to XI defined areas
• Stade d'aviation
• Targuia

Historical and design context

• An official early 20th-century map of Marrakech, published in 1918 by the Service topographique du Maroc (Casablanca).
• Created during the early French Protectorate, depicting the historic walled medina, gates, streets, squares, and surrounding landscape.
• Mapmaker or publisher: Service topographique du Maroc, based in Casablanca.
• Interesting context about the mapmaker: The Service was established to support administrative and military planning during the French Protectorate.
• Design or style of the map: Utilizes precise topographic representation with clear labeling; rich in detail for administrative use, indicating its historical and military significance.
• Historical significance: This map offers valuable insights into Marrakech’s urban structure and landscape post-World War I, marking a period of transition and modernization under colonial rule.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.