the Mellah

after visiting the old Jewish cemetery we head into the shopping district of the Mellah (the name for the Jewish quarter means salt in Arabic) Salt was used as currency in the old days when it had great value as a preservative and was quite scarce.

 

 

next stop the mosaic tiles workshop and a view over the city! then on to the ancient medina! time traveling....

Fes' Jewish Cemetery & Synagogue

the old Jewish quarter in Fes (and other Moroccan cities as well) is called the Mellah.  This word means salt, which was used as currency in the middle ages when salt was essential for preserving food.  Our first stop was the palace to see the amazing palace doors (see prior post) - then we walked through the old Jewish cemetery- afterward we head on to the Mellah's market area and visit an old synagogue..

the synagogue was very small and tucked away down an alley - we would have never found it on our own-

a view into the mikvah from through the floor of the synagogue-

next up - lots of shops with a lot of jewelry and shoes - one quite high end and other seriously mass market...