JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR FROM CASABLANCA IN 10 DAYS

Arrive at Med V airport in Casablanca, where you will meet your driver. The driver will provide a short overview of your tour. Enjoy dinner and spend the night at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will have an orientation tour of Casablanca, the financial capital. The tour will commence with the Habbous Quarter, the United Nations Square, the exterior of the Royal Palace, and a visit to the impressive Hassan II Mosque.

Next, explore the Jewish quarter (Mellah) with its temples and synagogues, such as Bet-El, Em Habanim, and Neve Shalom. You will also have a guided visit through the Jewish Heritage Museum for a glimpse into the rich and colorful world of Moroccan Jewry. This visit is a key highlight of your Jewish Heritage Tour from Casablanca in 10 Days.

Afterward, depart for Rabat, where you will visit the Chellah and the Kasbah of Oudayas, located next to the Medina within the ramparts of the old city. The Mellah, with its narrow lanes and colorful courtyards, is now home to a few Jewish families. Continue to Sale, the birthplace of Rabbi Hayyim Ben Moses Attar, the famous 18th-century scholar and Kabbalist recognized throughout the Jewish world for his biblical commentary on “Or Hahayyim.” Enjoy an overnight stay with dinner in Rabat.

After breakfast, begin your journey towards the imperial town of Meknes. Here, the Jewish presence is evidenced by Hebraic epitaphs dating back to the Christian era, as well as Greek inscriptions that still appear in local synagogues. You will also visit the tomb of Rabbi David Ben Imdan, “the patron of Meknes,” located in the crowded ancient Mellah, known for its historic Jewish street names.

Moreover, you can explore the new Mellah (Jewish ghetto), which harbors eleven synagogues, eight of which are still in use. The tour will include a visit to Bab El Mansour, Hedim Square, and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismael. After this, continue to Fes via Volubilis, a well-preserved Roman city. Check-in at the hotel and enjoy an overnight stay with dinner.

Today will feature a full-day guided tour of Fes, one of the most renowned cities in medieval Jewish history. It was home to influential Talmudic scholars such as Rabbi Isaac Alfasi and Maimonides in the years 1160 to 1165. Visit the Mellah with its synagogue, as Fes is a spiritual and cultural center with many significant sites.

The tour will take you back in time as you visit Al Quaraouiyine University, the oldest university in the world (even older than Oxford or the Sorbonne). Additionally, you will explore the medieval Medina with its Bou Anania Medersa, the Nejjarine Fountain, and the Moulay Idriss Mausoleum.

Following this, continue to discover the narrow alleys filled with shops and craftsmen selling a variety of products such as dates, fish, spices, copper urns, and musical instruments. Enjoy an overnight stay with breakfast at your hotel.

Our departure is southeast towards Erfoud, passing through the charming city of Ifrane and the cedar forest. Notably, Ifrane was once the capital of a Jewish kingdom. Don’t miss the village’s only synagogues and the cemetery, which has been a pilgrimage site for Moroccan Jews for centuries. Stop in Midelt before continuing to Erfoud.

From there, a 4×4 with a driver will be at your disposal for a camel trek, sunset, and bivouac at the Merzouga dunes. You can choose to spend the night with dinner at the Berber tent in the camp or return to Erfoud for accommodation at the hotel.

Your day starts early with a picturesque sunrise followed by breakfast. Next, head back to Merzouga to rejoin your vehicle and continue the tour to Todra Gorges, known for its stunning cliffs. Continue to Tinghir and visit its Mellah gateway and the colorful historical Jewish quarter.

Subsequently, proceed to Ouarzazate via Kellat M’gouna and visit Tiliit (5 miles from Kellat M’gouna), recognized as the historic city of Jews of the Dades. The fortress of Tiliit has been a center of the Jewish community, dominated by the Spanish-Jewish family of Perez from the late 15th century until the reign of Moulay Ismail in 1672. Finally, continue to the Hollywood of Africa, Ouarzazate, check in at the hotel, and enjoy an overnight stay with dinner.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will have some time to explore “the Hollywood of Africa,” Ouarzazate, whose stunning landscapes have attracted many world-class filmmakers. Here, you may also choose to visit the studios where famous movies like The Mummy and Gladiator were filmed.

Additionally, take the time to explore the Jewish Quarter, known as the Mellah. You will then pass by Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, a UNESCO heritage site and the most remarkable fortified village in southern Morocco, featured in movies such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. After that, drive through the High Atlas Mountains, enjoying panoramic views and picturesque Berber villages as you reach Marrakech. Enjoy an overnight stay with dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast, meet your tour guide for a sightseeing tour of Marrakech, where the Jewish community expanded in 1603. The Saadian dynasty made Marrakech their capital, extending the Jewish quarter, Mellah, into a thriving community of native Spanish Jews known for their rabbinical schools and scholars.

Visit the Rabbi Hanania Hacohen Cemetery, which is also the burial place of Rabbi Mordekhai Ben Attar and Rabbi Pinhas Hacohen Azough, recognized as the “patron of Marrakech.” The city tour will include both the old and modern synagogues. In the afternoon, stroll through the narrow streets of the ancient medina, discovering artisans still working in traditional ways. End your day at Djemaa El Fna Square, the most famous place in Marrakech. Overnight with breakfast at the hotel.

Depart for the seaside town of Essaouira, known for its Portuguese and Jewish history, featuring charming blue, white, and yellow-painted houses, fresh seafood, and an artist community.

Essaouira’s vibrant artist colony boasts stunning whitewashed buildings, colonnades, thuya wood workshops, art galleries, and mouthwatering seafood. Once known as Mogador by European sailors and traders, Essaouira hosts the annual Gnaoua Music Festival, attracting over 300,000 visitors in June. The town also features an expansive beach, Plage de Safi, ideal for surfing.

Many of Essaouira’s painted houses still display the Star of David above the doors of Jewish homes. Each year, religious Jews from around the world come to Essaouira for an annual pilgrimage to visit the grave of Rabbi Haim Pinto, who passed away in 1845. The Hiloula celebrating Rabbi Haim Pinto is held each September.

Today, the home of Rabbi Haim Pinto and the synagogue have been preserved as historical and religious sites. The building serves as an active synagogue, used by pilgrims or Jewish tour groups visiting the city.

Although there were once many Jewish residents in Essaouira, today only one family, the Jacky Kadoch family, remains, along with descendants of other Jewish families. Jacky Kadoch is the president of Essaouira’s Jewish community. Enjoy an overnight stay in Essaouira.

After enjoying your time exploring Moroccan culture and sites, our driver will take you to the airport in Casablanca or Marrakech, depending on your flight time. We hope to see you again soon!