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DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 / Arrive Casablanca
Our tour begins today at our hotel at 1 PM with introductions and discussion. We will meet our local guide for a panoramic drive through the city of Casablanca. Here resides the largest Jewish community in the Arab world. We will visit the Street of Seven Synagogues and the Kisher Bakery. Go to a Jewish school in the Mellah and to the Beth-el-Synagogue. We will view the Royal Palace, the Hassan II Mosque, the Central Market, Anfa, the residential areas and the romantic beach front with its world famous shops, restaurants and nightclubs. We will visit the synagogue and the Moroccan Jewish Museum and then walk through Baba Marrakech, which is part of the old medina.
Tonight we dine together of the Jewish Club in Casablanca.
Overnight at Golden Tulip Farah
DAY 2 / Casablanca–Rabat–Meknes–Fez
This morning we will visit the Hassan II Mosque before driving along the Atlantic coastline to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. We will visit the Shalom Zawi Synagogue and Mellah (Jewish Quarter) and the 12th century Tour, the minaret built in Almohadic times. After free time for lunch we will continue to Meknes, a UNESCO World Heritage site where a community of 15,000 Jews resided in 1950. With a visit to the Mellah, we will witness the remnant of a rich history within the walls of the eleven synagogues and see the many streets that are labeled with Jewish names. We will visit the tomb of Rabbi David Benmidan, who was the “Patron of Meknes” and drive along the walls and numerous gates of the city. We will visit the famous gate of Bab El Mansour, the Hedim square and the synagogue. From here, we continue to Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage area and the archaeological site of Roman ruins. Here we will see a wide paved street leading to the Capitol and beautifully preserved mosaics in the town’s houses. We arrive in Fez, the first Imperial City, which was built in 790 CE by Moulay Idriss II. Our day will end in Fez, which during the Golden Age of the Jewish community from the 9th to the 11th centuries, attracted brilliant scholars, poets, mystics and grammarians.
Overnight at the Palais Jamai Hotel
DAY 3 / Fez
Today we enjoy Fez, Morocco’s most fascinating city and the world’s best preserved Medieval city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our walking tour of the city will take us through the Jewish and Arab sections, where we will see the South King Palace. We will also visit the Mellah, the cemetery and the Ibn Danan synagogue. We will lunch together in the Mellah. Following that we will see the Habarim Synagogue which has been turned into a museum with detailed genealogical records. Then we continue along the river for a panoramic view of the Old Town Medina. We will eat lunch together before our afternoon walking tour which will highlight the Quaraouine University, the oldest in the world, the Mederssa Attarine, Bouanania Religious School, and the Rambam water clock. We continue on to visit a famous tannery where skins are cured and dyed in enormous vats.
Tonight we dine together in Fez.
Overnight at the Palais Jamai Hotel
DAY 4 / Fez–Marrakech
We depart early today and travel through the Middle Atlas Region of Imouzer Kandar. We will drive by Berber villages and the delightful ski resort of Ifrane. We will continue to Azrou, a Berber village known for its handicrafts, and then travel through wooded and mountainous scenery that will bring us to Beni Mellal for a light lunch. After lunch we continue on to Marrakech, the “Pearl of the South,” where Africa meets Arabia in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains.
Overnight at Les Jardins de la Koutoubia
DAY 5 / Marrakech
We begin our sightseeing the morning in Marrakech by visiting the Mellah, the Jewish quarter. We will see synagogues, a school and a Jewish cemetery where, Rabbi Hanania Ha-cohen, the “Lion of Marrakech,” is buried along side Rabbi Pinchas Cohen. Then we will walk through the old medina with time to explore the souks and wander through an endless maze of shops.
Tonight we will attend Shabbat services at the Tehila le David Synagogue and then enjoy a shabbat meal with a Jewish family from Fez.
Overnight at Les Jardins de la Koutoubia
Day 6 / Marrakech
This morning is free.
In the afternoon we continue our exploration of Marrakech. We will see the Dar Si Said palace, now a museum of the southern crafts, and the Menera Garden, where we can admire some of Morocco’s best art work. We will visit the beautiful, exotic gardens created in 1930 by painter Louis Majorelle that is within the Yves Saint Laurent Museum of Islamic art.depart for the monuments of Marrakech with visits to the 16th century grandiose Saadien tombs, and the Bahia palace, a splendid example of Moorish Andalusian architecture. Later we will venture into the Djemaa El Fna, a spectacular open theatre with story tellers, fire-eaters, snake charmers and palm-readers.
Overnight at Les Jardins de la Koutoubia
Day 7/ Marrakech–Ourika Valley–Marrakech
This morning we We will drive through the Eureka valley where many Berber villages are camouflaged into the surrounding hills, and village potters display their wares along the roadside. We will visit a Berber family to enjoy a cup of Moroccan mint tea. Then we continue up into the Higher Atlas Mountains to visit the grave of R. Shlomo Bel Hence and meet the last remaining Berber Jew. We will have a specially prepared lunch in the Mountains and the return to Marrakech.
Tonight we will have a cooking lesson with a Moroccan family and eat what we cook.
Overnight at Royal Mogador in Marrakech
Day 8 / Departure from Marrakech
Today you depart from Marrakech for either your flight home or an extension.
TERMS CONDITONS AND CANCELLATION PENALTIES
DEPOSIT: A
deposit in the amount of $1,500 per person is due
at time of registration. Tour registration is limited
to 28 guests. Due to the small group size, registrations
will be accepted on a first come first served basis.
Upon receipt of the deposit payment, Jewish History
Study Tours will send you a written confirmation
along with a final payment invoice.
FINAL PAYMENT: Final payment will be due by 90 days prior to departure
date. Final payment can be made by a check or any
major credit card.
- This tour is based
on a minimum participation of 25 tour members. If
participants are less than 25, Jewish History Study
Tours reserves the right to increase the tour price.
If the tour price increases and you wish to cancel
the tour, you will be able to cancel without penalty.
- Tour
registration form must be completed accurately.
- Tour
itinerary is subject to change at any time.
CANCELLATION
PENALTIES: Cancellations made to the tour will be
subject to the following penalties:
- Cancellations
received more than 90 days prior to departure date
is subject to a $500 penalty.
- Cancellations
received between 89-45 days prior to departure
date are subject to a $1,500.00 penalty.
- Cancellations
received 44 days or less prior to departure is
subject to 100% penalty.
CANCELLATION
INSURANCE: Tour cancellation
insurance is highly recommended. Premiums are available
upon request.
VISAS: All TOUR PARTICIPANTS that are
not US Citizens are responsible to obtain the necessary
visas. Travel-On will gladly advise you of the required
visas based on the country which you hold a passport
for.
* Disclaimer: Many components of the tour are paid
for in local currancy. Should there be a significant
decrease in the value of the dollar, we reserve the
right to adjust the cost of the tour. |
