Present in Morocco as early as the 7th century, the Jewish community was reinforced in 1492: with the fall of the Kingdom of Granada, reconquered by the » Catholic Kings », Isabel of Castilla and Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Sephardi Jews of Spain are obliged to convert or have to flee, and they escape to Morocco, to join the communities already existing.
This 12 days tour will lead you to this part of your History, covering the highlights of the Jewish presence in Morocco and the sanctuaries of celebrated rabbis.
day by day itinerary
Arrival at Casablanca Mohamed V International Airport. Welcome and assistance by our English-speaking guide and transfer by air-conditioned Motorcoach. Arrive at the hotel and have a private and personalised welcome. Check-in and set in the room.
Depending on arrival time, visit the coastal road of la Corniche with the momentous Hassan II Mosque and the United Nations square.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at your hotel.
Begin your day with a visit to the neighbourhood home to most of Morocco’s Jewish Community. Drive to Rabat (Rabat, the current political capital of Morocco, and neighbouring Salé that was once notorious as a haven to the feared Barbary pirates.) Stop by the cultural centre and the Bet El synagogue.
A short visit to Rabat, including the cemetery of Chellah and the picturesque Kasbah des Oudaias, the majestic Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohamed V. It was Mohamed V who brought independence to Morocco in 1956. Revered by both Muslims and Jew alike, his bravery in the face of the occupying Vichy regime during WW2 saved Moroccan Jews from the fate of their European brethren. His son, Hassan II, who ruled Morocco for 38 years, was buried here in 1999.
Optional lunch at a local restaurant in Rabat.
After lunch, departure to Fes via the ruins at Volubilis, nearby Moulay Idriss and Imperial Meknes: Meknes was once home to a thriving Jewish Community. You may wish to visit the old Talmud Torah in the Jewish Quarter and the new Mellah (Meknes had two of them: the original and the 20th-century new Mellah).
Continue to the Middle Atlas Mountains and Morocco’s spiritual capital, Fes. Scholars, architects, historians and artists travel worldwide to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fes. This entire city mainly functions as it did in the middle ages.
Upon arrival in Fes, check in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at your hotel.
Step back six centuries into the medieval world of Fes, whose narrow and cobbled streets are filled with ancient mosques and towering green-glazed minarets. Highlights of your private walking tour of Fes include the Attarine Medersa (koranic university), Foundouk Nejjarine, an XVIth century merchandise storage place for wholesalers now Museum of Wood Crafts, the shrine of Moulay Idriss II, countless souks and the famous tanneries.
Spend a memorable afternoon taking a unique look at traditional Morocco’s Jewish history and culture. Explore the Mellah (Jewish district) of Fes, founded in 1438 and once home to tens of thousands of Jews, 40 synagogues, the Bet Din, communal ovens, ritual baths and schools.
Visit the vast Jewish cemetery opposite the gates of the Royal Palace and the nascent Jewish Museum at the EmHaBanim synagogue.
Optional dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit the recently restored Ibn Danan synagogue – the oldest synagogue in Fes. Until very recently abandoned and decaying, its restoration was part of a comprehensive UNESCO project to preserve the monuments and fabric of medieval Fes. In February 1999, over 400 people worldwide attended its rededication.
Optional lunch at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, enjoy the colourful souks of Fes for shopping and visit the new city of Fes.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Early morning departure from Fes Down to the southern part of Morocco, first through the Middle Atlas mountain range and its cedar forests, crossed at Ifrane and Azrou, then down to Khenifra, Midelt, the Oued Ziz Valley, before reaching Erfoud by the end of the afternoon for dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Change of scenery and beautiful landscapes are guaranteed along the way!
Arrive at Kasbah Chergui hotel, meet with 4×4 and transfer to the cemetery for a visit to the tomb of Rabbi Shmuel AbuHatzeira. He is the grandson of the legendary Moroccan rabbi, the Abir Yaakov, and the first cousin of the Moroccan-Israeli iconic rabbi, the Baba Sali.
Return to Erfoud and check in your hotel or the possible option of Bivouac in the desert (on request).
Dinner and overnight at in hotel.
We continue our drive to Ouarzazate, one of the most beautiful itineraries in the whole of Morocco, called “The 1000 Kasbahs Valley”.
Up to Tinejdad, the landscape is still arid and punctured by the mounds of the old irrigation system of the “Khettaras”. Then after Tinerhir, a former military outpost built on terraces above a magnificent palm grove and gateway to the incredible Todra Gorge with its 300 m high cliffs, the desert and palm trees turn to flowers and orchards. First, at El Kelaa des Mgouna where the speciality is the growing of the Damascus roses. The perfume PARIS, by Yves Saint Laurent, is made from the extract of these roses.
Stop for rose products such as water, body milk and dried petals. Then to Boulmane du Dades, a large town and local administration centre at the foot of the Dades Wadi gorge. The entire road is scattered with the remnants of huge kasbahs.
Arrive in Ouarzazate by the end of the day, dinner and overnight in your hotel.
After breakfast, a short visit of Ouarzazate, including the Taourirt kasbah, owned by Pacha Glaoui. Then leave to Marrakech, and visit the Ait Ben Addous Kasbah, a vast fortified village, where six families are still living, and that served as natural decor for the shooting of many film productions, the latest being “the Mummy” and “Gladiator”.
Then across the splendid landscapes of the High Atlas Mountain range down to Marrakech, the “Pink City”.
Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning, a sightseeing tour of Marrakech, where the Jewish community increased in 1603. The Saadian dynasty made Marrakesh their capital and converted the El Badii Palace into a Mellah. It became home to a thriving community of native Spanish Jews, famed for their rabbinical schools and scholars. Visit the Rabbi Hininia cemetery, which is also the burial place of Rabbi Mordekhai Ben Attar and Rabbi Pinhas Hacohen Azough (known as the Patron of Marrakesh). Lunch at the hotel.
In the afternoon, visit the souks and the fascinating décor of their narrow winding alleys, bustling with colours. Anything can be found and traded for, from a thread of red silk to a bucket of «Khlii», the famous meat preserve…
Also, tour the famous Place Djemma el Fna with its non-stop entertainment that turns at night into a vast open-air food place!
You’ll find storytellers, snake charmers, fire-eaters and more and later in the evening, rows of food stalls presenting all the Moroccan delicacies from CousCous to boiled snails, from lamb’s head to grilled fish.
Your dinner will be at the famous “Chez Ali” restaurant, where you will enjoy a typical Moroccan meal under the Chieftain’s tents and enjoy their Fantasia performance, including camel and horse shows, folkloric and belly dancers.
Return to the hotel and overnight.
After breakfast, depart to the picturesque valley of Ourika, located at the foot of the famous Oukaimden ski resort. Visit the tomb of Rabbi Solomon Bel Hensh. It is known that a Jewish curator keeps the sacred Jewish inscriptions here.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Morning departure to Essaouira. The city holds an essential part of Moroccan Jewish history since the 19th century and harboured the wealthiest and most cultured Jewish community.
Visit the tomb of Rabbi Haim Pinto, which neighbours two Mullahs and two cemeteries.
Check in at your hotel for dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, return to Casablanca with a stop in Safi, home of the influential Jewish Benzamero family.
Visit the Mellah located north of the Medina. Continue to El Jadida, where Jews were expelled during the Portuguese inquisition and who returned in 1769. Visit the Mellah dating from 1821 and situated in the old Portuguese Quarter of the city.
Arrive in Casablanca, check in at the hotel for dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Casablanca Airport in time for your return flight.
Assistance and departure.
MAP OF ITINERARY
Please note that all timings and mileage are given for a return trip based on Google Maps data and itinerary availabilities. Trek itineraries are also not displayed as precisely as planned because Google Maps does not yet provide this type of information; you should then refer to the “day by day” program for accurate details.