Marrakech’s 49.6M MAD Arset Bouachrine Underground Parking Tender Reaches Its Deadline

A major underground parking project inside Marrakech’s historic Medina reached an important procurement deadline today, October 5.

Al Omrane Marrakech-Safi’s open tender covers construction of the Arset Bouachrine underground car park, road and utility works, nearby facilities and exterior landscaping. The estimated contract value is 49,625,610 MAD.

The tender deadline was October 5

The procurement notice set the deadline for electronic bids at 10:00 on October 5, 2026. Reaching that deadline does not by itself mean construction begins immediately: the procurement process still has to move through evaluation and award procedures, and the wider project remains subject to heritage and technical scrutiny.

UNESCO has asked for the project to be reconsidered

The Medina of Marrakech is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In its 2026 conservation decision, the World Heritage Committee specifically asked Morocco to re-examine the Arset Bouachrine parking project in light of earlier concerns.

UNESCO requested additional justification of the site, consideration of alternatives, archaeological work before irreversible decisions, traffic and environmental studies, and measures to protect neighboring buildings. It also asked that Arset Bouachrine recover the spirit of its historic garden setting.

Why visitors should care

Parking and vehicle access around the Medina directly affect visitors, residents, taxis, tour vehicles and businesses. A large new underground facility could change how traffic is handled near the old city, but the heritage setting makes the design and construction process unusually sensitive.

For now, travelers should not treat the project as an operating parking option or assume an opening date. No verified public opening timetable has been announced.

Photo: Hindrk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.