The Old Jewish Community in Marrakech

The old Jewish community in Marrakech has large numbers of historical relics which are housed in the El Bahia Palace, Dar Si Said Museum, and Tiskiwin Museum. These museums have nearly preserved the complete cultural relics of Morocco. There was once a slave market here, but it is now surrounded by spice shops. Tourists can also see the marks of the Jewish when they moved into this area, such as the Jewish church and Jewish cemetery.

The Jewish history in Morocco can date back 2,500 years. At that time, the Andalusian refugees, with the majority being the Jewish people, moved into Morocco for the sake of escaping the Catholic king’s attack. Large numbers of the Andalusian Jewish people arrived in Morocco after the 15th century.

In 1558, the Mellah district in Marrakech was established under the rule of Moulay Abdallah, and provided a residential area for the Jewish escaping from Spain. The community is located in the safe area of the Medina center, covering an area of 18 hectares. The streets inside the community are narrow. Since the balconies and roadside stalls have unique styles, the community is easy to recognize. The enclosing wall is tall, which divides the Jewish community and the Muslim community, and the Jewish can freely move around within the community.

In the 1960s, the majority of the Jewish population within the Mellah district in Marrakech left Morocco for Israel. Therefore, the life here has lost its ancient tradition, and the houses within the community have already decayed. Now, the City of Marrakech is refurbishing the relics according to their traditional architectural characteristics.

Currently, what still remains in Mellah district is but the tradition and craft of cooking. Surrounding the most important city area are varieties of jewelry shops and spice markets.