Place Mellah

The Mellah of Marrakech is defined by its dense urban fabric of narrow alleyways, balconies, and internal courtyards, set apart from the surrounding medina by its historic status as the city's Jewish quarter. Established in the mid-sixteenth century under the Saadian sultanate, the district sits in the southeastern corner of the medina, neighboring the royal palace. It was created by decree of Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib to concentrate the city's Jewish population, providing a walled space that offered both security and a centralized hub for commerce, rabbinical scholarship, and community life.