The Mellah

The old Jewish Quarter was created in the kasbah area of Marrakech's medina by the Saâdians in 1558. At the time, the Jewish community controlled most of the Saâdian's important sugar trade and comprised the majority of Marrakech's bankers, jewelers, metalworkers, and tailors. During its heyday in the 16th century, the Mellah enjoyed substantial autonomy with its own fountains, gardens, synagogues, and even souks. Although the present Mellah, renamed Hay Essalam, is much smaller and almost entirely Muslim, the area still has an individual character when compared to the rest of the medina. The streets are narrower, the houses are higher, and the shops are smaller (until the French arrived in 1912, Jews were not allowed to own property outside the Mellah, so all expansion took place within the defined walls of the quarter). Post-Saâdian, conditions here have historically been worse than elsewhere in the medina, but that is rapidly dissipating as Marrakech's property boom begins to reach the area. There are very few (estimates reach only as high as 250) Jews left in Marrakech, and most now live outside the medina's walls. However, one or two synagogues are still in use for Friday and Saturday services. The blue-and-white Alzama synagogue has an upstairs gallery (ezrat nashim) for women, peculiar in Morocco where women traditionally remained at the entrance to the synagogue or in a separate room. On the floor above are a Talmud Torah school, soup kitchen, and community center. Finding the synagogue is difficult, so it's best to ask once in the Mellah for directions -- usually a child will guide you for a small fee. This is a largely residential area and as such the attraction is being able to view Marrakchi life away from the touristed areas.