Sefrou. The Mellah

Even until the 1950's as much as 1/3 of the population of Sefrou were Jews. Many of these were of the origin of families that came here from Tafilalt and Algeria in the 13th century.But since the 1950's most Jews emigrated to Israel. Today only a handful Jews remain, living as a minority in their own town quarter, the Mellah.The architecture of the Mellah is modest, and the points of arrival tell stories of often conflicting relationship between the Jews and the Muslim society: the passageways are small, long and dark, and easy to block off if the Jewish inhabitants felt that they were in danger.