Breakfast at the Hotel Batha began at 7:00 a.m. and the room was extremely crowded with tour groups. The help seemed rather frazzled as they ran to and fro replenishing plates, glasses, trays of food and brewing new carafes of coffee. The group managed to get on the bus in a timely fashion but new local guide, Rachid was late. Highly educated and interesting, Rachid teaches drama and writing at one of Fes’ Universities.

The first stop was a gate built in 1968 and dedicated to the late King Hassan II that is never opened. A workman was standing on a ladder washing the intricate decorations with lemon water…View image. The only interesting fact that I remember was what the different colors included by the different artisant represent: Yellow – prosperity; Blue – the color of Fes; Black – wards off the evil eye; White – for peace; Green – Islam; and Red/Orange – hospitality, warmth. No one is allowed enter the Palace and the group followed Rachid across the square and into the old Jewish Quarter.

The Jewish Quarter, or Mellah as it was known, was always located next to the Royal Palace for protection. Both the Jews and Christians paid protection money to the whatever Sultan or King in power not to be hassled by Berbers or Arabs. (Again, Aziz was not happy with this reference.) Fes once had the largest Jewish quarter in Morocco but is now 90% Sunni muslim, 2% Christian and 8% Jewish (Rachid’s figures). The group was listening to the history of an old house once owned by wealthy Jews…View image, and now occupied by Arabs when ex-Marine and I noticed a blue sign saying “Synogogue”… We asked Rachid if we were going to visit and even though it wasn’t on the agenda, Rachid said of course we could visit.

FYI: All the main sights in Fes have a large blue/purple sign hanging overhead along with an arrow pointing the way.

The Aben Danan Synagogue was built by a prominent Moroccan Jewish family in the mid-17th century and renovated in 1998. This Synagogue contains a complete set of Moroccan synagogue fittings, possibly the only one in existence. There is a tevah (reader’s canopy platform), hechal (twin carved-wood arks for the Torah), wooden benches, chairs, and embroidered hangings.

There was one last sight inside Aben Danon Synagogue before leaving under the main level. A mikvah. A mikvah is a ritual bath in Judaism and literally means a…generally, a collection of water. This mikvah still fills with rainwater and we took turns going down into the small enclosure for a closer look…View image.
Fes’ short history of Judaism finished, it was outside, past the Arab Quarter, and back on the bus to a Panorama point…

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