Jewish Morocco: two thousand years of life here

Jews have lived in Morocco since antiquity. The constitution of 2011 names the Hebraic heritage as one of the sources of the nation, and synagogues and cemeteries across the country are cared for and open to visitors.

Jewish communities were in Morocco before Islam, in the towns of Roman Mauretania and among Amazigh peoples in the mountains. They were joined by Jews from Spain and Portugal after the persecutions of 1391 and the expulsions of 1492 and 1497; the newcomers (megorashim) and the established communities (toshavim) kept their own customs for centuries.

In the royal cities, Jews lived in their own quarter, the mellah, usually next to the palace. The first was in Fes, in the mid-15th century (traditionally 1438); the word, from milh, salt, may come from the name of that site. Marrakech had its mellah from the 16th century, Essaouira's Jewish merchants made it a trading port in the 18th and 19th.

At its height in the 1940s the community numbered about a quarter of a million. Most emigrated after 1948 and in the following decades, to Israel, France and Canada; a few thousand still live in Morocco, mainly in Casablanca. Families come back each year to visit the tombs of saints, the hiloula.

The 2011 constitution says the unity of the nation was forged by its Arab-Islamic, Amazigh and Saharan-Hassani components, and enriched by its African, Andalusian, Hebraic and Mediterranean influences. In Essaouira, Bayt Dakira, "house of memory", opened in 2020 in a restored synagogue as a place to remember Jewish and Muslim life together in the city.

Where to see it today

Fes mellahFes, near the royal palace
The Ibn Danan synagogue (17th century) and the white tombs of the Jewish cemetery next door.
Marrakech mellahMarrakech, by the Bahia Palace
The Lazama synagogue, still in use, and the large Miâara cemetery.
Bayt DakiraEssaouira medina
The house of memory in the old Slat Attia synagogue; the mellah of Essaouira around it.
Museum of Moroccan JudaismCasablanca
A museum of Jewish life in Morocco; ask about opening times before going.

Opening hours and tickets change; we list them only where an official source states them. Ask at your riad the day before.

One route that strings it together

Casablanca
The Museum of Moroccan Judaism and today's community.
Fes
The first mellah, Ibn Danan and the cemetery.
Marrakech
The Lazama synagogue and the Miâara cemetery.
Essaouira
Bayt Dakira and the mellah by the sea walls.

What visitors say

A writer in Essaouira stayed at Bayt Dakira far longer than planned; labels are in Darija, French and some Hebrew, but she found it worth it for English speakers too. Malika in Morocco
In Fes, a visitor was struck by the restored Ibn Danan synagogue and the white cemetery, and by how little Jewish life is left in the mellah. Passport and Baggage

Sources, checked 2026-11-14

The other layers

The Amazigh heritageTamazight and Tifinagh, kasbahs and ksour, rugs, Imilchil The Roman and ancient heritageVolubilis, Lixus, the Chellah: Phoenicians, Mauretania and Rome The Arab-Islamic heritageAl-Qarawiyyin, Moulay Idriss, the madrasas, the Koutoubia, Hassan II The Andalusian heritageFes, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Rabat and al-Ala music The Portuguese and European heritageEl Jadida's cistern, Essaouira's ramparts, Asilah, Tangier's international years The African and Saharan heritageThe Gnawa, the caravan routes, Sijilmasa, the Hassani south World Heritage SitesNine sites on the map

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