Casablanca - Rabat
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Casablanca
Upon your arrival at Casablanca airport you will find your host waiting for you to greet you then later take you to your hotel in Rabat. You will depart for Rabat, the capital of Morocco. This is a wonderful short drive of about 45 miles through the lash farms and nurseries of all kind of flowers and exotic plants you will reach Rabat.
Styled in a spaciously elegant European grid, yet slightly self-conscious of its modernity, Rabat and its twin city Sala Colonia separated by only a river but historically worlds apart have an ancient legacy that spans hundreds of generations.
Duration: 2 hours
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Rabat
Each civilization that has inhabited each of the cities has left its mark, resulting in a wide variety of architectural styles including those from the Phoenician and Roman eras. You will spend your day discovering the delights that Rabat has to offer. Just outside the city walls of Rabat is another walled city, the Chellah, where Jews are believed to have lived during the time of the Phoenicians. Rabat's Archeological Museum has a strong focus on the Roman town of Volubilis and displays a Jewish lamp found at the site. The unfinished Tour Hassan Mosque is the counterpart of Marrakesh's Koutoubia Mosque and the Giralda Cathedral in Seville, Spain, all of which were built by the Almohad Dynasty, the twelfth-century persecutors of the Jewish people. Adjoining the Tour Hassan is the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V, which has become a pilgrimage site for Jews, who cannot forget his efforts to defend them against the anti-Semitic policies of the French Vichy Government.
Duration: 2 hours
Rabat - Meknes - Fez
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Rabat
that embodies a large part of Morocco’s early history. First, you will travel through Zaer confederation where fertile and large-scale farms and vineyards are in abundance then, of course, the Zemmour Berber tribes starting at Tifelt of colorful Moroccan hats a sign of wealth among farming communities. East in the niter land we will reach the hills of Zemmour starting at Khemisset a city now for its exquisite Kilims. You will proceed on to Meknes a city that has been created in the first place to rival Fez but not quite. It is what Moroccans call the Versailles of Morocco.
Duration: 0 minutes
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Meknes
Meknes is one of the only cities in Morocco where the Mellah does not adjoin the royal palace. It is also the only city where Jews decided to create a new Mellah after the French Protectorate was installed. The European city houses several synagogues as well as a community center. The new Mellah is still the home for some of Meknes's 200 Jews, and one can visit a beautiful synagogue, the El Krief, nearby the new cemetery. On the other side of the new Mellah is the old Jewish cemetery. Several saints are found in the two cemeteries, including Haim Messas, David Boussidan, and Raphael Berdugo.
North of Meknes is Volubilis, a well-preserved Roman city, where archaeologists found the first traces of Jewish settlement in Morocco.
Duration: 2 hours
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Fez
The nearby town of Moulay Idriss contains a mausoleum commemorating the founder of the first Muslim state in Morocco, Idriss I, who oppressed the Jews, forcing many of them to convert. Further North is Ouezzane, a town controlled by an important Muslim fraternity who encouraged Jewish traders and agriculturists to live near-by. East of Ouezzane is the village of Azjen, where the tomb of the most important Jewish saint, Amram Ben Diwane, is found. The Lag B'Omer pilgrimages to his grave attract hundreds of Jews from both inside and beyond Morocco. Later in the afternoon we will cross the hills of Zgotta, and continue onward to Fez where you will be provided with dinner and accommodations at your hotel.
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Discover Fez
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Medina of Fez
Undeniably fascinating, Fez stimulates the senses with its haunting yet beautiful sounds, visual splendor, and evocative smells. The most ancient of imperial capitals and the complete medieval city of the Islamic world, Fez is reminiscent of a city suspended in time, unfazed by the constantly evolving world outsides its walls, owing nothing to the Western world save electricity. Time spent in Fez will reveal much about the sophistication of the Moroccan artisan, providing an unparalleled learning experience to those who cross its path. Your morning will be spent visiting the Medina. In contrast with the young Mellah of Casablanca, the Mellah of Fez is over 650 years old. This picturesque neighborhood adjoins the royal palace, noted for its recently constructed bright brass doors. Jews took shelter in this palace during the 1912 pogrom. The nearby cemetery contains the tombs of more Jewish saints than any other cemetery in Morocco.
Duration: 4 minutes
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Medina of Fez
One of the more important saints is Lalla Solica, who was killed for refusing to convert to Islam. This woman was born in Tangier in 1817. At the age of 16, she was courted by a Muslim man but refused to marry him. To force her hand, the man went to the caid, the local government official. The man told the caid that Solica could not refuse his offer of marriage because she was no longer Jewish, having converted to Islam of her own free will. When called before the caid, she refused to acknowledge having converted. The Sultan called her to Fez, where she again denied her conversion. As a result, she was condemned to death for apostasy and killed in 1834.
Throughout the old city of Fez, there are traces of ancient Jewish life, including the home of Maimonides, who lived in the city from 1159-1165.
Duration: 60 minutes
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Medina of Fez
In the face of a declining population, the Jewish community of Fez is working hard to maintain its community spirit and preserve its heritage and traditions. The Center was created in the early 1980's in a building housing a Talmud Torah synagogue and school. Nearby the community center is Roben Ben Sadoun Synagogue. Built in the 1920's, it is decorated with exquisite plaster carving reminiscent of the decoration of traditional mosques and medersas. It is large by the standards of Morocco, where every rich Jewish family desired its own synagogue.
Duration: 2 hours
Fez - Sefrou - Bhalil - Fez
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Sefrou
efrou, south of Fez, was known as Little Jerusalem due to its high percentage of Jews and its well-developed religious life. Upon Morocco’s independence, a rabbi from Sefrou was elected to Parliament. Sefrou's Mellah makes up half of the old city. Jews made up almost half the population. While there were no more than 5000 Jews in Sefrou in 1948, they lived only in the Mellah. To cope with the high population density, most buildings have three stories, with balconies facing the street. Sefrou’s main Jewish cemetery is being restored using funds from those who have emigrated. Historic headstones have been mounted within cement monuments. Several monuments commemorate a large number of merchants who died in a truck accident on the road south to the Tafilalet region. Others honor the 21 victims of the flood of 1950. Sefrou has several saints, including Moshe Elbaz, the Masters of the Cave, Eliahou Harraoch, and David Arazil.
Duration: 4 hours
Fez - Beni Mellal - Marrakech
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Marrakech
You will spend most of your day en route to Marrakesh, exploring Berber villages and natural sites in the Atlas Mountains. You will arrive in Marrakech, a city of pleasure for both visitors and locals, where southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring their goods to market and find a variety of entertainment. To tourists, the city is a feast for the imagination, full of incomparable beauty, situated before the towering mountains that provide a thrilling backdrop. Dinner and accommodation will be at the hotel.
Duration: 4 hours
Discover Marrakech
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Marrakech
Your day will be devoted to discover the historic sites of Marrakech with your excellent guide. The Marrakesh Mellah dates from the 1550’s, as noted on the door to the Jewish cemetery. Unlike the Moslem old city or medina, the Mellah has many three-story buildings towering over narrow streets, reflecting the crowded conditions of the many Jews who lived there until the 1960’s. Synagogues were once found on every street, but only a few remain in operation. In the middle of the Mellah is a building that housed until recently a synagogue and a home for the elderly. Another synagogue is across from the jewelers market, where several Jewish goldsmiths still produce pendants of the hand of Fatima, which is a symbol of good luck to both Jews and Muslims. The Marrakesh cemetery is the site of the Jewish saint Hanania Cohen.
Duration: 2 hours
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Medina of Marrakesh
In the 1950’s, Jewish economic activity spilled out of the Mellah into the medina heading toward the Jemaa El Fnaa Square. The Square is Marrakesh's center of traditional entertainment in the evening, with acrobats, storytellers and snake charmers performing for thousands of people. Nearby is the Koutoubia mosque, one of the major architectural triumphs of the Almohads. The eleventh century Almoravide Koubba el Baroudiyn is one of the few architectural reminders of the dynasty that presided over the “Golden Age” of the Jews in Spanish Andalucia and Morocco. The Medersa Ben Yusuf, El Badi Palace and Saadian tombs are beautiful demonstrations of the art and architecture of the 16th century Saadians, a dynasty that relied heavily on Jewish traders with Sub-Saharan Africa, including Moroccan-controlled Timbuktu, to finance its wars against Portugal and the Turkish empire.
Duration: 2 minutes
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Medina of Marrakesh
The rural areas surrounding Marrakesh have the heaviest concentration of Jewish saints of anywhere in Morocco. Demnate, northeast of Marrakesh, is one of the few rural towns with a well developed Mellah, as well as a cemetery with the saint David Draa Halevy. Near-by Sidi Rahal has the mausoleum of Jacob Mahmias, called Moul Almay.
Duration: 2 minutes
Marrakech - Eurika Valley - Marrakech
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Ourika
You will begin your day with an excursion to the Ourika Valley, where you will visit the traditional Berber Souks, as well as the Jewish shrines. After lunch, you will discover the workshops of the local artisans, enjoying their sophisticated, hand-made products. Aghbalou in the Ourika Valley, the tomb of Saloman Ben Elhans is cared for by one of the few remaining Berber Jews in Morocco. Return To Marrakech for a Jewish dinner in a kosher restaurant with local entertainment.
Duration: 3 hours
Marrakech - Essaouira
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Essaouira
You will begin your day by traveling to Essaouira (Mogador), a picturesque city with a rich history. With a fascinating antiquity, Essaouira was occupied by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, supplied essential purple dyes to the Romans, absorbed the sophisticated Jewish arts of silversmith, and spent centuries as a Portuguese enclave. Despite the obvious influence of these civilizations, Essaouira has managed to remain a small, authentic Berber town.
Duration: 2 hours
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Medina of Essaouira
Alive with the breath of fresh air provided by the Atlantic, Essaouira is a jewel nestled in the rugged coast, with a vast expanse of empty sands trailing back along the promontory towards the South. Essaouira’s Mellah covers over 10 percent of the town, but Jews constituted almost 40 percent of the population in the late 1880s. Jewish stars on the doors to the Mellah show the degree to which Jews were accepted in Essaouira, to the point that some of the richer Jews did not even live in the Mellah. Commemorative plaques indicate the buildings in which synagogues were located. Former inhabitants of Essaouira, most of them Jewish, formed a committee to rehabilitate the town. An important member of the committee is King Hassan II's Economic Advisor, Andre Azoulay. The Jewish cemetery, just outside the city gates, is extremely well-kept. After an introductory tour you will return to your hotel for dinner.
Duration: 2 hours
Essaouira - Safi - Mazagan - Casablanca
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El Jadida
You will travel to Casablanca, stopping at El Oualidia for a seafood lunch. You will continue onward to El Jadida, where you will visit the citadel, evidence of the 11th century Portuguese occupation. Finally, you will arrive in Casablanca, having completed a journey that has led you through immeasurable antiquity. In El Jadida, south of Casablanca, the 18th century Portuguese citadel later served as the Jewish quarter. It is possible to climb the bastions, where a star of David can be seen on an abandoned synagogue, which was converted from a Portuguese courthouse.
Duration: 2 hours
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Casablanca
Next to the Portuguese city is a large Jewish cemetery. The tombstones of Jewish translators and employees of foreign consuls demonstrate the Jewish role in 19th century trade with Europe. The saint Yahia Assouline is buried in this cemetery. You will conclude your day with a dinner and spend the night at the Hotel
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Casablanca Discovery
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Old Medina of Casablanca
The Mellah of Casablanca is young by Moroccan standards, not much more than a century old. It assaults the senses in the evening, with a sea of women in brightly colored djellabahs carrying and selling fruit and vegetables throughout the cramped, narrow streets. While Jews no longer live in the Mellah, kosher butchers are found in the old market, next to other butchers selling horse meat. The Jewish cemetery in the Mellah is open and quiet, with well kept white stone markers in French, Hebrew, and Spanish.
Duration: 2 hours
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Casablanca
Once a year, Casablanca Jews celebrate a hiloula, or prayer festival, at the tomb of the Jewish saint, Eliahou.
The 4500 Casablanca Jews live outside the Mellah in the European city, where they worship in over 30 synagogues, eat in kosher restaurants, entertain themselves in community centers, and attend Jewish schools and social service centers. Beth El is the largest synagogue and an important community center, seating 500 persons. Do not miss to visit the Hassan II Mosque, the second largest in the world. The Jewish community contributed to the construction of this mosque, which was inaugurated in 1994. Some Jews visit annually the Muslim shrine of Sidi Belyout, Casablanca’s patron saint. Many Jews of Casablanca celebrate the hiloula of the saint Yahia Lakhdar in Ben Ahmed, about an hour south of Casablanca near the town of Settat. Some of you can go and have a dinner with a Moroccan Jewish family at home.
Duration: 2 hours
Casablanca - Home
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Casablanca
You will depart for Casablanca Airport in the morning where you will board your flight back home with a lifetime worth of memories packed neatly into your suitcase.
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