Mellah of Fes

The word mellah is first used of this quarter, established in Fes el-Jdid in the fifteenth century when the Jewish community was moved from the old medina to a site beside the royal palace - the arrangement being protection in exchange for proximity and taxation, and the word itself is generally derived from the salt marsh the ground was. The architecture is the visible difference: the houses are tall and narrow with wooden balconies projecting over the street, where the Muslim medina turns its windows inward to courtyards, so the mellah's streets have faces on them. The community was large into the twentieth century and left almost entirely by the 1970s. What remains is the street form, the restored Ibn Danan synagogue, the cemetery on the slope with its whitewashed graves, and a jewellery souk where the trade the community dominated is still carried on by others.

History

Jews had lived in Fez since the city was founded by the Idrisids, at first mostly near Bab Guissa in the northeast of the old city. Later in the Marinid period they were moved to a new district in the southern part of Fes el-Jdid, beside the royal palace, and the Mellah is believed to date from the mid-15th century (Wikipedia, Mellah of Fez).

What to look for

• The first mellah - the quarter that gave the word to every other in Morocco.
• Balconies on the street - a building form distinct from the inward-facing medina.
• Ibn Danan and the cemetery - the restored synagogue and the whitewashed graves on the slope.
• A jewellery souk - the trade continuing under different hands.

When to go

October to April. Half a day, with Fes el-Jdid around it.

What to expect

The community is gone and the quarter is occupied by others - the interest is architectural and historical. The synagogue and cemetery are opened by caretakers who expect donations. There is little interpretation. Parts of the quarter are run-down.

Nearby

The royal palace doors are beside it; Fes el-Bali is east.

Key facts