What can you see of Morocco's Jewish heritage?

Morocco's Jewish heritage is one of the most moving and least-expected threads of a trip here, and it runs very deep. For centuries Morocco was home to one of the largest and oldest Jewish populations in the Arab and Muslim world — a community woven into the country's crafts, commerce, music and cuisine. Most emigrated in the mid-20th century, but the physical heritage, and a small living community, remain, and Morocco is unusually open and respectful about preserving it. For Jewish travellers and anyone interested in this history, it's a rich, dignified journey.

In Marrakech, the heart of it is the Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter near the Bahia Palace, one of the oldest in Morocco. Its centrepiece is the beautifully restored Slat al-Azama (Lazama) Synagogue, built by Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, with its blue-and-white courtyard and a small attached museum. Nearby, the vast Miaara Jewish cemetery — the largest in Morocco — spreads its whitewashed graves. The Bahia Palace itself sits right beside the Mellah, so the two pair naturally in a morning.

Fes claims the very first mellah in the country, beside the Royal Palace at Fes el-Jdid, its tall houses with distinctive carved wooden balconies looking quite different from the Muslim medina. Here you'll find the exquisitely restored 17th-century Ibn Danan (Aben Danan) Synagogue — a UNESCO-recognised gem with its painted ceiling, ark and underground mikveh — and an evocative hillside Jewish cemetery with its sea of white tombs. Essaouira, once nearly half-Jewish and a great trading port, has its own atmospheric mellah, the restored Slat Lkahal and Simon Attias synagogues, and the Bayt Dakira heritage centre telling the community's story.

To tie it together, the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca — the only Jewish museum in the Arab world — gives the wider context, with ritual objects, costumes and reconstructed synagogue interiors. I'd strongly recommend a specialist guide for this itinerary: someone who can unlock synagogues that aren't always open, share the families' stories, and connect the sites to living traditions. Done thoughtfully, a Jewish-heritage route through Marrakech, Fes, Essaouira and Casablanca is one of the most meaningful ways to see the country.