Arrival to Casablanca

Casablanca - Welcome to your roots! Depending on your arrival time, you will be driven to your hotel/Riad to relax and rest. You might want to explore some of Casablanca’s sights, including the architectural masterpiece, Hassan II Mosque, completed in the 90s. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, it has a retractable roof to let in sunlight and is one of the few mosques that Jews are allowed to enter.

Casablanca City Tour

Temple Beth-El - This is your first day of a pilgrimage tour of Jewish heritage in Morocco. Casablanca is a great place to start, and your most vivid memory will be visiting Beth El and Eim Habanim synagogues, which are not the only synagogues in Casablanca. Then, you will move to the only Jewish museum in the Islamic world.

Museum of Moroccan Judaism - You will discover the Moroccan Judaism Museum, where you’ll see Jewish-Berber costumes and jewelry. The museum reflects a 2000-year history through art, ornate clothing, religious relics, and artifacts. It also features a photo and video library and rooms with partial reproductions of synagogues. Before its renovation, this place served as a Jewish orphanage. Continuing our heritage discovery, we will visit the last Moroccan Jewish day school, Neve Shalom, and Casablanca’s Jewish Mellah and Jewish Cemetery. You can have lunch in one of many kosher restaurants, and later in the afternoon, you might like to have a drink at Tahiti Beach Club, once a local Jewish hangout.

Casablanca - Azemmour - Essaouira

Medina of Azemmour - You’ll have plenty of time to explore Jimi Hendrix’s town. But before we get there, we’ll stop at Azemmour, a charming former Portuguese fortified town on the great Oum Er-Rabia river, 75 km from Casablanca. It once had 2500 Jewish residents in its white clifftop historic old town during the 15th century. Here, we’ll discover historic sites, Riads, and shrines and experience a different pace of life.

Medina of Essaouira - In the afternoon, when you’re in Essaouira, you’re free to roam the city, which was once and still is a haven for hippie backpackers and Gnawa musicians. You can start your visit by exploring the ramparts, a series of forts built in the 15th century around the Medina of Mogador. Inside the Medina, you’ll have the chance to visit the Mellah, where two-thirds of the population settled in the 19th century, as well as Bayt Dakira, a spiritual and heritage space that seeks to preserve and enhance the Judeo-Moroccan memory. Each year in September, more than 2000 Jews from all over the world meet at the grave of Rabbi Chaim Pinto, who was well-known for his ability to perform miracles in the 16th century Jewish cemetery. Essaouira’s port is Morocco’s 3rd largest fishing port, where you can enjoy a delicious fish meal. For sports-oriented travelers, Essaouira offers some fine wind and kitesurfing schools.

Essaouira - Marrakech

Essaouira Ramparts - If you didn’t get to explore the sights of Essaouira the day before, you’ll be able to do it this morning before heading east to Marrakech. It’s highly recommended to walk through the narrow alleyways of Essaouira, where you will notice the painted houses that still have the Star of David above the doorways of Jewish houses. Even in its boat-lined port, look up at the symbols carved out on the harbor’s gate. A Jewish star rests inside a scallop shell, often associated with Christian pilgrims, next to Islam’s symbolic crescent moon. Although the number of permanent Jewish residents has dwindled, their marks remain. Leave Essaouira after lunch and stay overnight in Marrakech.

Walk and Talk Marrakech City Tour

Medina of Marrakesh - You’ll have all day to continue your Morocco Jewish heritage cultural tour with your private guided tour, as in other cities. You’ll be able to explore the famed Jamaa El-fnaa square and highly recommended sites such as the newly opened Yves Saint Laurent Museum, the enchanting Majorelle Garden and Berber Museum, and the famed Jamaa El Fnaa square, where musicians, snake charmers, and storytellers perform. A visit to the narrow alleyways of the nearby Mellah is worth it. Jewish stars punctuate doorposts leading to the tiny blue-and-white Lazama, constructed by Jews escaping from Spain in 1492 and recently opened to the public. Lazama synagogue has an interior courtyard and displays photographs and artifacts of Moroccan Jews. The tour also includes The Saadiens Tombs and the Bahia and El Badi Palaces.

Marrakech - Ait Benhaddou - Ouarzazate - Valley of Roses - Dades Gorges

Atlas Mountains - Around 8:00 am, your driver/tour guide will pick you up from the nearest point of your hotel/Riad. Through Tizi- N’Tichka pass (2260m) in the High Atlas Mountains, you will enjoy a winding road (if you get car sick, have your medication), beautiful landscapes with different colors, and Berber villages along the way. The first stop will be in Ait Barka village around 10:00 am to take beautiful pictures and have a cup of mint tea. It’s a point to start the highest Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The second stop will be at the top of Tizi n’Tichka, arriving at Ait Benhaddou, the 11th-century UNESCO-protected red mud-brick ksar that has been the backdrop for many Hollywood movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many others. Here, you will also have time to explore the history of this amazing heritage.

Ouarzazate - Then you will have lunch before continuing via Ouarzazate, known as “Ouallywood” studio, and Taourirte Kasbah. Traversing the Valley of Roses and Dades Gorges, a rust-red and mauve mountain range, you will see a series of crumbling Kasbahs and Ksours lining the valley in the Berber villages to the Monkey Fingers Mountains.

Dades Gorges - Todgha Gorges - Tinjdad - Erfoud - Risani - Merzouga Desert

Merzouga Desert - Then it’s off to Merzouga, which has the highest dunes in Morocco. You can store any luggage while packing an overnight bag to bring along. You’ll have the chance to ride your camel, the “ship of the desert,” into the sandy seas. After an hour-long camel ride, you will be among the luckiest to watch the sunset over the Sahara dunes. Your stay for the night will be in a Bedouin-style tent.

Merzouga - Midelt - Ifran - Fes

Midelt - This morning, you’ll wake up with the sun shining on your face to witness what we hope is a glorious sunrise among the dunes. Watch the light slowly creep down the dunes and pull everyone around you out of their warm blankets for an early breakfast. After an hour-long camel ride out of the desert, you will depart and head for Ifran through the Ziz Valley, one of the largest date-producing oases in Morocco.

Ifrane - After lunch in Midelt, we will pass through the cedar forests of Ifran, known as the Switzerland of Morocco. If we are lucky, we’ll come across the Barbary macaques on our way to Fes, where you can prepare for tomorrow’s amazing tour of its mysteries and secrets in the 9000 alleyways that make it a maze. Don’t worry; the guide will show you the must-see sites.

Fes Walk and Talk Medina Tour

Medina of Fez - With your private Fes-born and bred guide, you will have the opportunity to discover the ancient breeding ground for scholars and artisans and the largest medina in the world. You will see the America Fondouk, Nejjarines, the Tanneries, and Karaouine, the oldest university in the world. Your guide will share many tales and the history of this UNESCO-protected Medina. For Jews, it is highly recommended to explore the winding streets to the 1438 Morocco’s oldest Mellah with its Spanish-inspired Jewish balconies and windows facing the streets. The Jewish quarter also has 17th-century synagogues, including Slat Al Fassiyine. Additionally, the Aben Danan Synagogue has unique features, and Beit Hachaim is the most famous resting place for rabbis and local Jews.

Fes - Meknes - Fes

Meknes Medina - The lesser-visited Imperial city of Meknes is our 10th-day visit. Today, we will have the chance to see the famed gate Bab El Mansour, Dar Jamai Palace and Museum, the royal stables, Hedim Square, and Moulay Ismail’s tomb. Through the narrow lanes to the Mellah, where Jewish families used to live, we will visit the Jewish Zawiya, where the grave of Rabbi David Benmidan is located. A 30-minute drive from Meknes is Volubilis, one of the earliest signs of Jewish existence, still standing the test of time. This remarkable and fascinating archaeological site, a former Roman ruin, hides a tombstone with Hebrew inscriptions dating back to the second century among its intricate mosaics, standing columns, and building facades.

Fes - Sefrou - Chefchaouen

Sefrou - We say goodbye to the city of Sophism and drive south of Fes towards Sefrou, known as “the little Jerusalem” due to its high percentage of Jews. It was once a meeting point for traders from around the world. The town hosted Jewish settlers since the 13th century. Upon Morocco’s independence, “Little Jerusalem’s” Mellah made up half of the old city. If you want to discover more of the Mellah, you might like to cross the Aggai River and walk through alleyways to get to a large school, the synagogue, and a cemetery holding the tombs of important saints, merchants, and flood victims. After visiting the medina, we will drive out of Fes to enjoy a delicious local meal at Lalla Fatiha’s house. In the afternoon, your driver/guide will take you to the blue city, where you will spend the night and visit it tomorrow morning.

Chefchaouen - Rabat

Chefchaouen Medina - From coastal towns in the south to the north, you will spend this morning in Chaouen before leaving for Rabat. Chefchaouen, also known as Chaouen or the blue city, was a refuge for Muslims and Jews escaping the Spanish Reconquista. The presence of Jews remains evident in the vivid blue-washed walls of each house and corner of the city. The blue color that covers the walls is a Jewish tradition of weaving prayer shawls with tekhelel (an ancient natural blue dye) representing the sky, the sea, and God’s inescapable presence. Many people enjoy wandering the city arbitrarily. After lunch, we head to the capital of Morocco, Rabat.

Rabat Walk and Talk City Tour

Rabat - In every inch of Morocco, you can catch glimpses of the country’s once vibrant Jewish life. In Rabat, you will have a free day to explore the city, starting with the monumental Hassan Tower, with the pillared stumps of its mosque being all that remains from the earthquake of 1755. There is also the nearby Mausoleum of the royal family. Don’t miss walking through the passageways of the Medina and Mellah to have a cup of mint tea in red Oudayas, a walled village within a city.

Departure

Casablanca - Your pilgrimage to the Jewish heritage and reconnection with your roots is coming to an end today. We sincerely hope that you refreshed and enjoyed your Morocco Jewish Heritage Cultural Tour with us. Your driver will pick you up 4 hours before your flight.

• Private transportation for your comfort
• Stay connected with on-board WiFi
• Authentic dining experiences including breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Unique lunch experience with a local family
• Temperature-controlled travel with in-vehicle air conditioning
• Knowledgeable Tour Guide to enrich your journey
• Cultural immersion at local women cooperatives
• All transportation costs covered, including fuel surcharges and parking fees

• Gratuities

This excursion encompasses more than mountain ranges, deserts, seashores, and Berber hamlets; it encompasses a journey of discovery for those keen on delving into Morocco’s profound Jewish heritage. It is an opportunity to foster a connection for Jews to their ancestral origins in a nation where they have traditionally been, and continue to be, received more hospitably than in many other locales. It is a commitment to uphold Religious Pluralism in this haven of serenity.
“In Morocco, there are no Jews, only Moroccans.” Such was the memorable retort of King Mohammed V when he rebuffed the request of the French Vichy government to compile a registry of Moroccan Jews for deportation. Jewish presence in Morocco can be traced back over two millennia, boasting a population of 275,000, making it the most populous Jewish community within the Islamic world. They have historically coexisted harmoniously with Moroccan Muslims, neighbor by neighbor, storefront by storefront, dwelling by dwelling, with a synagogue situated adjacent to both the mosque and the church.

If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.