Fez, Morocco
Moroccan cultural heritage site
The Ibn Danan Synagogue, in the Mellah of Fes el-Jdid, is one of the city's most important monuments of Moroccan Jewish heritage. The first synagogue on the site dates from the 17th century, with historian Hicham Rguig placing it in 1680; tradition credits the merchant Mimon Boussidan, a notable of the Jews of Ait Ishaq in the Middle Atlas, brought to Fez to revive its trade. Like most of the Mellah's synagogues, it was damaged or destroyed and rebuilt several times, and it closed in the 1960s. After a full restoration it reopened in 1999, and it is now one of the best-preserved traditional Moroccan synagogues: a rectangular hall with columns and arches, a wooden reading platform, the Torah ark set into the wall, brass chandeliers, and zellij and carved wood in the same Fassi style seen in houses and madrasas, with a ritual bath on the lower level. The visit opens a window onto a long chapter of Fez's history, when a large Jewish community lived in the Mellah beside the royal palace and took part in the city's trade and crafts for centuries.
There are no fixed hours; the caretaker lets visitors in and gives a brief tour for a small fee. Allow thirty minutes. It is a place of worship, so dress modestly and keep quiet. Combine it with a walk down the Mellah's main street, with its houses' wooden balconies over the road, the nearby Jewish cemetery and the gates of the Royal Palace.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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AttractionFez, Morocco
