Miaara Jewish Cemetery

Miaara has been in use since around the founding of the mellah in 1558 and covers several hectares immediately behind its wall, which makes it the largest Jewish cemetery in Morocco. The form is distinctive and unlike European Jewish cemeteries: the graves are low whitewashed rectangular boxes laid flat and close together in rows across bare ground, mostly without headstones, with no trees and no shade, and the effect from the gate is a white field. Sections are set aside for children, for those who died in an epidemic, and for tsaddikim, holy men whose tombs are visited and where candles are lit - the practice of pilgrimage to saints' graves being shared between Moroccan Jewish and Muslim traditions. The cemetery was restored in the 2010s under a national programme to repair Jewish heritage sites, and it is maintained by a caretaker who shows visitors round.

What you actually see

• A white field of graves - low whitewashed boxes laid flat in close rows.
• No headstones or trees - bare ground with almost nothing standing.
• Tsaddikim tombs - saints' graves where candles are lit by visitors.
• A 2010s restoration - repaired under a national Jewish heritage programme.

When to go

October to April; morning before the heat. An hour.

Honest expectations

It is a burial ground and behaviour should match - men cover their heads, and there is no photography of mourners. Closed on Shabbat and festivals. There is no shade at all. A donation to the caretaker is expected.

Nearby

The Lazama synagogue is a short walk; the Bahia palace is north.