Mellah of Marrakesh
The Mellah of Marrakesh (Hebrew: מלאח מרקש; Ladino: Mellah de Marrakesh; Arabic: ملاح مراكش), also known as Hay Essalam is the Jewish Quarter of the city of Marrakesh, Morocco. It is the second of its kind in Morocco.[1]
History
Although the city of Marrakesh was founded by the Almoravids in 1060, jews settled 40 km away and there is no recorded jewish presence in the city until 1232. After the Reconquista and expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, jews started to arrive in great numbers to Morocco, settling mostly in cities and mixing with the local Jewish population. Many mellahs were created to protect the jews under their dhimmi status. The Mellah of Marrakesh was created by decree of the Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib of the Saadian dynasty in 1558,[2] outside of the walls of El Badi Palace.
It is estimated that between 16,000 and 30,000 people lived in the mellah at the peak of its population, before the emigration of most of the community to Israel and also to France. [3]
In 2016, King Mohamed VI ordered to restore the names of the streets that had to do with the city's Jewish heritage.[3]
External links
See also
References
- ^ On the Origins of the Mellah of Marrakesh. Gottreich, Emily. International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol. 35, No. 2 (May, 2003), pp. 287-305.
- ^ Jewish Mellah of Marrakech | History & Visit of Ancient Jewish District
- ^ a b La Mellah y el Cementerio Judío de Marrakech Template:Es