The Mellah has its name from the Arabic word for salt, "melh", and is the Jewish quarter which now to a large degre is abandoned and taken over by rural Moroccan immigrants. The area had its own architecture which principally tooks its shape in bays and windows which often could be beautifully adorned, a qualkity that was quite striking compared to the plain white walls of the houses in which they were placed.



A shop keeper in the Mellah district who uses all available space for his display of goods.

The Mellah was not always such a nice place to live, as certin rulers of Fez at times imposed ghetto regulations. This served a both as protection and enclosure. While their rights inside the Mellah were good and safe, the Jews of Fez experienced hard limitations outside: they could not wear shoes or ride on horse or donkey.
The main attractions around the Mellah are the windos and some few synagoges. The Habanim synagogue is now being developed into a museum of Jewish lifestyles.

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By: Tore Kjeilen.