Debdou

Debdou sits in a valley below an escarpment in the hills of eastern Morocco, and its distinction is demographic: from the fifteenth century, when families expelled from Seville and elsewhere in Spain settled here, until the mid-twentieth, the town was overwhelmingly Jewish - by some accounts the only town in Morocco with a Jewish majority for extended periods - with its own quarter, synagogues, a rabbinical tradition and family names, the Cohen-Sqalli among them, traceable to the Andalusian arrivals. Almost the entire community emigrated between the 1950s and 1970s, mainly to Israel and France. What remains is the townscape - the old quarter, a cemetery on the slope, the ruins of a kasbah above, springs and orchards - and descendants who return. It is remote, has no tourist infrastructure at all, and is visited mainly by people with a family connection.

The main sights

• A Jewish-majority town - from the fifteenth century until the mid-twentieth.
• Andalusian roots - families traceable to expulsions from Seville and elsewhere.
• The old quarter and cemetery - the physical remains of a community that left.
• A kasbah ruin - above the town, with springs and orchards below.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Half a day; it is a long detour.

What to expect

There is no tourist infrastructure whatsoever - no hotels or guides. The synagogues are closed or gone and the cemetery may need a key. It is a long drive from any main route. There is no interpretation of the town's history on the ground.

Nearby

Taourirt is north on the Oujda-Fes road; the eastern steppe surrounds it.

Key facts