You're in the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter of Marrakech and the second oldest in Morocco after the one in Fez.

1A quarter in the sultan's shadow

Around 1557-1558, the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib moved the medina's Jewish population here, next to the kasbah and under the direct protection of the ruler. The land they left behind, in Mouassine, was used to build a great mosque. The Mellah was walled and its gates were locked at night. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was also a busy commercial hub where Christian merchants and foreign ambassadors lodged.

The word mellah means 'place of salt' and comes from the first Jewish quarter in Fez, built on salty ground. The claim that Jews salted the heads of executed prisoners is a late legend.

2The synagogue of the exiles

The Slat al-Azama Synagogue, known as Lazama, is traditionally dated to 1492, the year the Jews were expelled from Spain. It occupies a courtyard house, like a riad, and is still in use. In the late 1940s the quarter had some 40,000 inhabitants; today only a few Jewish families remain. In 2016 King Mohammed VI ordered the name Mellah restored, after it had been replaced by 'Hay Essalam', along with the Jewish names of its streets.

3What to look for

  • The balconies facing the street, rare elsewhere in the medina.
  • The derb signs, which bring back historic names.
  • The discreet Stars of David above some doors.
Covered shopping street in the Mellah of Marrakech
Trade is still the heartbeat of the old Jewish quarter.

Documented

The Mellah was created around 1557-1558 under Abdallah al-Ghalib, reached about 40,000 inhabitants in the late 1940s and had its name restored by royal order in 2016.

Oral tradition

The founding of the Lazama Synagogue in 1492 is a traditional date that has not been verified in documents.

Sources and credits

Emily Gottreich, «The Mellah of Marrakesh: Jewish and Muslim Space in Morocco's Red City» (Indiana University Press, 2007); Gaston Deverdun, «Marrakech des origines à 1912» (1959); Foundation for Moroccan Jewish Cultural Heritage.

Photos:

  • Prayer hall of the Lazama Synagogue with benches and blue carpets: David Berkowitz, CC BY 2.0.
  • Pink alley in the Mellah with a Derb Laazama street sign: TomiValny, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Covered shopping street in the Mellah of Marrakech: Misa.stefanovic.07, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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