Disclaimer
This entry contains information known to us from a variety of sources but may not include all the information currently available. Please be in touch if you notice any inadvertent mistakes in our presentation or have additional knowledge or sources to share. Thank you.
Archive
Marrakesh Mellah, Morocco
Mellah in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Description
Marrakesh History: Located near the Atlas Mountain range in south central Morocco, is the city of Marrakesh, an important locale in Moroccan history which was established in 1070 c.e. as a military outpost. Throughout Morocco’s history their capital has changed four different times, with Marrakesh holding the title at one point, along with Meknes, Fez, and now, Rabat. The Jewish community of Marrakesh began when members of the Jewish community of the neighboring village, Āghmāt Aylān, migrated over to Marrakesh. Marrakesh was a hub for commercial life as the city held many routes that aided in trade. Jews were frequently involved in trade, and were particularly known for alcohol. They were also metal workers, seamstresses, intermediaries, and more. The majority of Jews migrated out of Marrakesh in the 1950s. During the beginning of the twenty-first century, Marrakesh’s Jewish population was around 300.1
Mellah History: During the sixteenth century, the majority of Jews lived in the central Muwassīn quarter, as well as the oldest quarter, Aswāl, while others lived in scattered locations. Around 1557, Sa‘di Sultan Mawlāy al-Ghālib decreed the establishment of mellahs (an established Jewish quarter, named after the salt marsh area in Fez where the first mellah was created2), causing the Jews of Marrakesh to relocate to the newly constructed mellah. The mellah is located east of the casbah, the royal compound, and measured 700m x 250m, with the surface space being eighteen hectares.3 During the later half of the nineteenth century, the Jews located in the mellah dealt with economic instability and epidemics due to the influx of Jewish migrants to the mellah, causing some Jews to move to the European quarters during the beginning of the French protectorate in the early twentieth century. In the last decade there have been efforts to restore the mellah, as well as reinstate the quarter’s original street names.4
Sources
[1] Emily Gottreich, “Marrakesh,” in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, ed. Norman A. Stillman, (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill), Accessed 10 August 2021.
[2] Emily Gottreich, “Mallāḥ,” in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, ed. Norman A. Stillman, (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill), Accessed 20 July 2021.
[3] Gottreich, “Marrakesh."
[4] Gottreich, “Marrakesh."