page_title: Fes Jdid
section_title: Creation of the Jewish Mellah
hierarchical_section_title: Fes Jdid / History / Marinid period (13th-15th centuries) / Creation of the Jewish Mellah
caption_attribution_description: Català: Fes - Mellah - Cementiri.
context_page_description: Fes Jdid or Fes el-Jdid is one of the three parts of Fez, Morocco. It was founded by the Marinids in 1276 as an extension of Fes el Bali and as a royal citadel and capital. It is occupied in large part by the historic Royal Palace, which was once the center of government in Morocco and which is still used on occasion by the King of Morocco today. Since 1981 it has been classified, along with Fes el-Bali, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
context_section_description: Fes also hosted the largest and one of the oldest Jewish communities in Morocco. During the Marinid period the Jewish inhabitants, who had until then lived alongside the Muslim population in Fes el-Bali, were all moved to a new district occupying the south side of Fes el-Jdid. This district, possibly built after the initial foundation of the city, was located between the inner and outer southern walls of the city and was originally inhabited by Muslim garrisons, notably by the Sultan's contingents of Syrian archers. The district was known as Hims or by the name Mellah (Arabic: ملاح‎‎, lit. 'salt') due to either a saltwater source or to a former salt warehouse in the area. The latter name was later retained as the name of the Jewish quarter. This was the first "mellah" in Morocco; a name and phenomenon that came to be replicated in many other cities in the country. (A notable exception to this was the nearby town of Sefrou.) 
  Both the exact reasons and the exact date for the creation of the Jewish Mellah of Fes are debated by scholars. Broader political motivations for moving the Jewish community to Fes el-Jdid, closer to the royal palace, may have included the Marinid rulers' desire to take more direct advantage (or control) of their merchant and artisan skills and of their commercial relations with Jewish communities in other countries (which could act as an avenue for foreign relations). Historical accounts confirm that in the mid-14th century the Jews of Fes were still living in Fes el-Bali but that by the end of the 16th century they were well-established in the Mellah of Fes el-Jdid. Some authors argue that the transfer likely happened in stages across the Marinid period, particularly following episodes of violence or repression against Jews in the old city. The urban fabric of the Mellah appears to have developed progressively and it's possible that a small Jewish population settled here right after the foundation of Fes el-Jdid and that other Jews fleeing the Fes el-Bali joined them later. Some authors attribute the move more specifically to a consequence of the "rediscovery" of Idris II's body in his zawiya at the center of the city in 1437. Following this, the area around the mosque was turned into a horm (sanctuary) where non-Muslims were not allowed to enter, resulting in the expulsion of the Jewish inhabitants from the city's commercial center. Many scholars therefore estimate that the move took place in the mid-15th century. The Mellah's Jewish cemetery was established at its western edge (the current site of Place des Alaouites) on land which was donated to the Jewish community by a Marinid princess named Lalla Mina in the 15th century.
caption: The Jewish Cemetery in the Mellah.
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