Mellah

A Mellah (Arabic ملاح ) is the traditional Jewish quarter in Moroccan cities, comparable to a European ghetto. It is always near the Arabian old town, the Medina.

History

The oldest is the Mellah of Fes, which was established in 1438 by Abdalhaqq II, the last Sultan of the Marinids. A year earlier, had been with the supposedly intact body of Idris II found from a random probably planned the grave. The intention was connected to revive the cult of the Idrisids and their Sherifian descent, which should strengthen the historical significance and consequently the reputation of the Merinidenherrschers. The people responded enthusiastically and with a religious expectations. In this atmosphere, spread the message, in the mosques of Fez wine had been found, which the Jews were blamed. Then began a large-scale massacre of the Jews. For their protection, the Sultan allowed the Jews from their previous district in the Medina of Kairouan bringing in the fortified Neustadt Fes Djedid where on a salty (Arabic Mellah ) grounds her new neighborhood was built, the Mellah was called.

After this Mellah soon all the other ghettos were named in Morocco. The reasons for the establishment of Jewish neighborhoods were similar to those in medieval Europe: the state wanted to use the economic power of the Jewish population for themselves and protect them from any violence by the heterodox majority population and the tribes of the area. Therefore, the Mellah was often built near the royal palace or the Kasbah of the Governor.

In the mid-16th century, the name also appears in Marrakech, and in 1682 in Meknes, when it was briefly the capital. In the 19th century separate Jewish quarter in Morocco were common.

After the establishment of Israel, most of the Jewish Moroccan wandered out there, so this district are now predominantly inhabited by Muslims.

Name

In Arabic, the word " salt" means. The etymology of the place name is uncertain, a guess is that originally were salt marshes at the site of the Mellah of Fes. Later so that a place was called metonymic where salted products are kept. In addition, the folk etymology came as " versalzener, cursed place " in circulation, and there was also a legend that the Jews have the right to the heads of the condemned to salt.

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