Jewish Heritage Travel

The Museum of Moroccan Judaism

Founded in 1997 in Casablanca, the Musée du JudaïseMarocain is the only one of its kind in the Arab world. Exceptional, historical, and cultural, this museum is worth the detour. It is housed in an elegant villa built-in 1948 in the Oasis district of Casablanca. Spread over 600 square meters, the Museum of Moroccan Judaism presents various objects such as oil lamps, costumes, photos, jewelry, paintings. All from the crafts and Judeo-Moroccan art. The ethnographic museum also consists of a library, a photo library, a video library, and several multipurpose rooms where exhibitions are held. Two rooms of the villa are also devoted to the presentation of the synagogues. After lunch by the sea, departure to Rabat for a visit of the charming administrative capital which will begin with the Medina, teeming with life, then you will see the mosque, the Hassan Tower, and the splendid mausoleum of Mohamed V. The Kasbah of 'Oudayas considered to be the nucleus of the old Medina, and the Jewish quarter (the Mellah), with its narrow streets and bustling courtyards. Next, we visit Sale, the hometown of Rabbi Hayyim Ben Moses Attar, a famous 18th-century scholar, and cabalist. Dinner and overnight in Rabat.

Our accommodation suggestions in Rabat:

 VILLA MANDARINE
 SOFITEL JARDIN DES ROSES RABAT

The Jewish quarter of Fez is the oldest Jewish quarter in Morocco. It is located right next to the Royal Palace and the Jewish cemetery. The Jewish cemetery in the Mellah is the oldest in Morocco and contains the graves of more Jewish saints than any other cemetery in Morocco.
Maimonides :Moses Maimonides (in Hebrew Moshe ben Maimon) is a Jewish philosopher and physician born in Cordoba in 1138 and died in Fostat (Cairo) in 1204. By his theological and philosophical works, he is extremely famous and influential both in the Jewish community, Islam's land, and the Christian West.

The house of Maimonides, But if today "the house" symbolizes the Jewish history of Fez and Morocco, it is above all because the main living room is full of religious rooms from the great synagogue of Fez, local Jewish schools, individuals. Chandelier, mezuzah, bench with names of the faithful, Torah. All forget pieces from more than 500 years of history. The community center, "Maimonides," is one of the most well organized in Morocco, with a kosher restaurant and a modern synagogue. Danan synagogue: the oldest synagogue in Fez

Founded in the 17th century, the synagogue, the oldest in Fez, has seen many ups and downs. Used as a prison in the 18th century, it was then rehabilitated as a place of prayer and became one of the important places of the Jewish community of Fez, which numbered nearly 250,000 people in the first half of the 20th century and still represents the largest Jewish community in North Africa. Classified as World Universal Heritage by UNESCO (along with three other places of worship in Fez), the AbenDanan synagogue is the first to be restored because its role was preponderant in Hebrew culture and religion throughout the Maghreb as well as in the advent of reforms.

El-Baz was a family of scholars and rabbis with an Arabic name meaning "the hawk," as the Mellah platform in Fez assures us, who cite several personalities who have marked JudeoMoroccan history. They are, among others, MaimonElbaz, rabbi in the 17th century, author of a cabalistic commentary on prayer rituals, Shmuel El-Baz (rabbi, 17th century), member of the Rabbinical Tribunal and author of Talmudic writings or Amram El-Baz, rabbi-judge and codifier who lived in the 18th century.

The tomb of Rabbi Raphaël Moshe El-Baz, the saint with multiple caps in the Jewish cemetery of Sefrouest, is considered a primary Jewish pilgrimage site in Morocco, visited annually by thousands of the faithful and the curious. In this twenty-first episode, the story of Rabbi Raphael Moshe El-Baz, the most famous descendant of a family of scholars and rabbis.

Rabbi Raphaël Moshe El Baz's grave in the Jewish cemetery of Sefrou.
Rabbi RaphaëlMoshé El-Baz died in 1896 in Sefrou, his hometown, buried in the city's Jewish cemetery. His hiloula is celebrated during LagBaomer, the Jewish feast of a rabbinical institution.
The Old Medina is full of places to visit with its ramparts, forts (borjs) and historic gates, Jewish homes with wooden balconies, zaouias, mosques, bridges, and caravanserais.

Afternoon Garden and Palace option in Fez:

 JNANE SBIL GARDEN
 BATHA MUSEUM AND ANDALUSIAN GARDEN
 BOU INANIA MEDERSA Night in Fez
Nuit à Fès.

The Majorelle Garden and the Berber Museum

The Majorelle Gardens, formerly the JardinBouSaf, owes its name to its original creator, Jacques Majorelle, the expatriate French artist born in Nancy, France, in 1886. In 1947, he opened his gardens to the public and painted a magnificent ceiling at the hotel La Mamounia. French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent later bought the gardens. Today, the Majorelle Gardens are home to a unique collection of flora and fauna and the Berber Museum.

Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech

Located a few steps from the famous JardinMarjorelle, the Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum displays raw and contemporary volumes designed from terracotta, concrete, and terrazzo. The link between the talented designer and the red city. A great tribute to the creator's work spread over an area of more than 4000m2 and composed of an exhibition hall, a library, an auditorium, a bookstore, and a café. By visiting this new cultural temple, visitors will also have the opportunity to discover the 5,000 pieces of clothing and 100,000 sketches by Yves Saint Laurent, kept by the Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent Foundation.

Night in a Boutique Hotel or Riad in Marrakech.

The Anima Garden

Austrian universal artist André Heller offers a new and magnificent curiosity near the city of Marrakech. We have located 27 km outside the city, in the Ourika Valley, and the shadow of the mighty Atlas.
The world-famous multimedia artist created the garden as a botanical staging. Between exotic palm trees, fragrant flowers, and thorny cacti, works of art of all kinds have been integrated into the landscape. Shaded paths lead you through the ANIMA garden, passing aromatic lavender and rosemary hedges. You can rest on benches or even in hammocks and listen to the wind and the birds.

Mentioned as one of the most beautiful and enameled with fantasy in the world, this garden of more than two hectares is a clever mix of art and botany. In fact, in addition to the beauty of its vegetation, the Jardin Anima is also made up of three exhibition rooms dedicated to culture and art, highlighting young talents in contemporary art.

Night in a Boutique Hotel in Marrakech.

Essaouira old port of Toumbouktou

Compared to the other medinas of North Africa, its relatively late foundation was the Alawite Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah (1757-1790), who wanted to make this small city of the Atlantic a royal port and capital of Moroccan trade with the outside world. Long known as the Port of Timbuktu, Essaouira became one of the centerpieces of Atlantic trade between Africa and Europe at the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century. The city also offers a multicultural center as evidenced by the coexistence, from its conception, of various ethnic groups such as Amazighs, Arabs, Africans, and Europeans, and multi-faith (Muslims, Christians, and Jews). Furthermore, inseparable from the medina, the Mogador archipelago includes many cultural properties and natural sites of Outstanding Universal Value.

Overnight in Essaouira.

Our accommodation suggestions in Essaouira:

 Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf & Spa
 L’HeureBleue, Boutique Hotel
 Le Medina EssaouiraThalassa Sea & Spa Hotel