Azemmour Jewish Heritage Tour

Azemmour is a charming former Portuguese  fortified town  on the  great  Oum Er-Rabia river 75 km from Casablanca and close to the  fortified  city of El Jadida  which the Portuguese moved to after abandoning Azemmour in 1541. The Duke of Braganza took the town in 1513 with a force of some 500 ships and 15,000 troops. It was used as a destination for shipping goods along the river. Azemmour is  unspoiled and a very restful destination of character in Morocco.

History of Jewish Azemmour & Guided Visit:
During the 15th Century 2500 Jews resided in Azemmour. Jews, mainly occupied as fishermen and craftsmen, and including wealthy merchants. Both Almoravid and Portuguese architectural influences are seen in the buildings that make up the town. Exploration of Azemmour historic Kasbah and the attractive Jewish quarter. A mausoleum for the city's patron saint, Abu Shuayb, was constructed under the orders of Mohammed ben Abdallah and a moussem is held each year in his honor.

Exiles from Portugal in 1496 found refuge there. It was subsequently raided by the Spanish, but the Jews were afforded protection by the Portuguese, who occupied Azemmour in 1513 without bloodshed. A grant of privileges was conferred on the Jews on June 14, 1514, which also fixed their annual tax payment. Joseph Adibe was appointed rabbi of Azemmour and invested with wide powers. Azemmour was captured by the Moors in 1541; during the siege John III ordered the evacuation of all Jewish non-combatants to Arzila, and compensated them for the losses they had incurred. A community was reestablished in 1780. Most of the more wealthy members immigrated to Mazagan c. 1820, after the sultan ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Hishām permitted Jews to trade there. Only the Jewish craftsmen remained in Azemmour, which continued to have a Jewish population until the emigration from Morocco after 1948. In 1968 there were no Jewish inhabitants in the town.

Medina Guided Walk of Azemmour - Historic sites, riads and shrines in it’s white cliftop historic city, brightly decorated walls, painted by local artists. 


Experience a different pace of life in Azemmour attractive Old Town and visit the 16th-century synagogue and disocver Haouzia Beach

Visit the Jewish Shrine of Rabbi Abraham Moul Niss/ Rabbi Abraham Moul Niss square

Gallery Walk: Visit the medina's original art gallery exhibits the work of visual artists from across the nation. It was founded by Abderrahmane Rahoul, director of the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Casablanca, a well-known and highly respected visual artist himself.

Shrine of Moulay Moulay Bouchaïb Erredad. Considered a great Saint and the original patron of the Azzemour, he reigned during the periord of the Almoravides. The shrine of Moulay Bouchaïb Erredad is a few kilometers from Azemmour. Also located on the Atlantic coast, is the marabout of "Lalla Aicha Bahria". Lalla Aicha Bahria  was a holy woman from Baghdad, who was assigned the gift to gather love and marry single men and women, and which was in spiritual relationship with Moulay Bouchaïb Erredad. Lalla Aicha, according to the myth, came from Baghdad to meet, Moulay Bouchaïb. She arrived at the mouth of the oued Oum Errabiaa, yet  Aïcha drowned without ever knowing the fate of her beloved or discovering the city of Azzemour whose people adopt as holy.