{
 "key": "jewish-heritage",
 "kind": "offer",
 "type": "tour",
 "language": "en",
 "url": "https://ourika-valley.com/jewish-heritage-ourika-valley/",
 "json": "https://ourika-valley.com/data/en/pages/jewish-heritage.json",
 "translations": {
  "en": "https://ourika-valley.com/jewish-heritage-ourika-valley/",
  "fr": "https://ourika-valley.com/fr/patrimoine-juif-vallee-ourika/",
  "es": "https://ourika-valley.com/es/patrimonio-judio-valle-ourika/",
  "it": "https://ourika-valley.com/it/patrimonio-ebraico-valle-ourika/",
  "de": "https://ourika-valley.com/de/juedisches-erbe-ourika-tal/",
  "nl": "https://ourika-valley.com/nl/joods-erfgoed-ourika-vallei/"
 },
 "title": "Jewish heritage day trip in the Ourika Valley, private from Marrakech",
 "meta_title": "Jewish Heritage Day Trip, Ourika: Rabbi Bel Hench Shrine",
 "description": "Private day from Marrakech to the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench at Aghbalou, the Ourika Valley and Setti Fatma. From 140 EUR per vehicle, local guide included.",
 "summary": "A private day from Marrakech to the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench near Aghbalou, one of the most venerated Jewish saints in Morocco, with the Ourika road, a women's cooperative and Setti Fatma. It costs from 140 EUR per vehicle for 1 to 2 people up to 280 EUR for 8 to 17, local guide included.",
 "updated": "2026-11-06",
 "author": null,
 "highlights": [
  "The shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench near Aghbalou, a pilgrimage site for about 500 years",
  "From 140 EUR per vehicle for 1 to 2 people, 280 EUR for 8 to 17, local guide included",
  "Time for prayer and candles, at your own pace",
  "A women's argan cooperative on the way up the valley",
  "Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls in the afternoon",
  "Sunday to Thursday recommended if you keep Shabbat"
 ],
 "facts": [
  {
   "label": "Duration",
   "value": "Full day, morning pickup, back in Marrakech in the late afternoon"
  },
  {
   "label": "Stops",
   "value": "Women's argan cooperative, shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench near Aghbalou, Setti Fatma"
  },
  {
   "label": "Pickup",
   "value": "Your hotel or riad in Marrakech (medina: nearest point a car can reach)"
  },
  {
   "label": "Languages",
   "value": "Driver speaks French, English and Spanish"
  },
  {
   "label": "Group",
   "value": "Private, 1 to 17 people booked online"
  },
  {
   "label": "Meals",
   "value": "Not included; there is no kosher restaurant in the valley, so bring your own food"
  },
  {
   "label": "Hiloula",
   "value": "23 Shevat, which falls on 31 January 2027"
  },
  {
   "label": "Price",
   "value": "Per vehicle, local guide for the waterfalls included: 140 EUR (1 to 2 people), 160 EUR (3 to 4), 190 EUR (5 to 7), 280 EUR (8 to 17). 50% deposit online, balance to the driver on the day"
  }
 ],
 "itinerary": [
  {
   "title": "Pickup at your hotel or riad",
   "text": "Your driver collects you in the morning at your hotel or riad in Marrakech. If you stay inside the medina, we meet you at the nearest point a vehicle can reach. The exact pickup time is confirmed on WhatsApp the day before, so you can plan morning prayers or breakfast before leaving."
  },
  {
   "title": "The Ourika road and a women's cooperative",
   "text": "The road leaves the plain of Marrakech, passes Tnine Ourika and follows the river into the foothills of the High Atlas. On the way we stop at a women's argan cooperative, where you see the oil being made by hand and can buy directly from the women, if you wish. Nobody expects you to buy."
  },
  {
   "title": "The shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, near Aghbalou",
   "text": "Higher up the valley, near Aghbalou, we stop at the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, an emissary from the Land of Israel who died in the valley about 500 years ago. The shrine is kept by a caretaker family. You can pray, read psalms and light candles by the white marble tomb, for as long as you wish."
  },
  {
   "title": "Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls",
   "text": "The road ends at Setti Fatma, the last village of the valley, with its footbridges and terraces over the river. A rocky path climbs the gorge towards the first waterfalls, and a local guide walks with you. Then the drive back to Marrakech, arriving in the late afternoon."
  }
 ],
 "includes": [
  "Private vehicle with fuel (minivan for 1 to 7 people, minibus for 8 to 17)",
  "Driver speaking French, English and Spanish",
  "Pickup and drop-off at your hotel or riad in Marrakech",
  "Time at the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, without a time limit",
  "Local guide for the waterfalls walk"
 ],
 "excludes": [
  "Meals and drinks (there is no kosher restaurant in the valley: bring your own food)",
  "Donations at the shrine, tips and purchases at the cooperative"
 ],
 "faq": [
  {
   "question": "How much does the Jewish heritage day trip cost?",
   "answer": "The price is per vehicle, not per person: 140 EUR for 1 to 2 people, 160 EUR for 3 to 4, 190 EUR for 5 to 7 in a minivan, 280 EUR for a minibus for 8 to 17. It covers the vehicle, fuel, the driver, the local guide for the waterfalls and pickup at your hotel or riad. For four people, it comes to 40 EUR each."
  },
  {
   "question": "Who was Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench?",
   "answer": "According to the accounts collected in the valley, he was an emissary from the Land of Israel who came to Morocco about 500 years ago to raise funds for the Jewish communities there, and who died in the Ourika Valley. He is one of the most venerated Jewish saints in Morocco, and Muslims of the valley also honour him under the name Moul Asguine."
  },
  {
   "question": "When is the hiloula of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench?",
   "answer": "The hiloula, the anniversary of the rabbi's death, falls on 23 Shevat in the Hebrew calendar. In 2027 that is Sunday 31 January; in 2028 it is 20 February. The shrine is much busier on that day. If you want to come for the hiloula, book early and tell us in the booking notes."
  },
  {
   "question": "Is food included? Can we eat kosher?",
   "answer": "No meal is included. There is no kosher restaurant in the Ourika Valley, so we advise you to bring your own kosher food from Marrakech. Your driver can stop wherever you wish to eat it, by the river or at Setti Fatma."
  },
  {
   "question": "Can we do the trip on Shabbat?",
   "answer": "The trip is a day by car, so if you keep Shabbat we recommend Sunday to Thursday. On Friday the day ends in the late afternoon, which is close to sunset in winter. You choose the date when you book."
  },
  {
   "question": "Can non-Jewish visitors come to the shrine?",
   "answer": "Yes. The caretaker family says that everyone is welcome, and Muslims of the valley visit the rabbi too. As in any place of prayer, dress modestly, keep your voice low and ask before taking photos inside. Jewish men usually wear a kippah: bring one."
  },
  {
   "question": "Can we combine the shrine with the Jewish quarter of Marrakech?",
   "answer": "This day is built around the Ourika Valley. The Mellah of Marrakech, with the Lazama synagogue and the Miâara cemetery, is in the city: you can visit it on another day, on foot from the medina."
  },
  {
   "question": "What happens if it rains heavily?",
   "answer": "After heavy rain the Ourika river can rise quickly. If the weather makes the valley unsafe, we contact you and offer another date or refund your deposit in full."
  }
 ],
 "image": "https://ourika-valley.com/assets/img/rabbi-shrine.jpg",
 "videos": [],
 "content_markdown": "This private day trip from Marrakech is built around one place: the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, near the village of Aghbalou in the [Ourika Valley](https://ourika-valley.com/). For about 500 years, Jewish pilgrims have come to pray at his tomb, and Muslims of the valley honour him too. The day adds the Ourika road, a women's argan cooperative and Setti Fatma, the last village of the valley, so that the visit to the shrine sits inside a real day in the mountains.\n\nWe are a local team of drivers and guides who work in the valley every day. This page explains who the rabbi was, what you find at the shrine, how the day runs, what it costs and how to prepare, including food and Shabbat.\n\n## What is the Jewish heritage day trip?\n\nIt is a private day by car from your hotel or riad in Marrakech, with a driver for your group only. The heart of the day is the visit to the shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, for as long as you wish. Before it, a stop at a women's cooperative on the Ourika road; after it, the river and the village of Setti Fatma, where a path climbs towards the [waterfalls](https://ourika-valley.com/services/conquer-the-cascades-of-setti-fatma/).\n\nThe price is per vehicle, local guide for the waterfalls included: 140 EUR for 1 to 2 people, 160 EUR for 3 to 4, 190 EUR for 5 to 7, 280 EUR for 8 to 17. Meals are not included, because there is no kosher restaurant in the valley; most travellers bring their own food from Marrakech.\n\n## Who was Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench?\n\nMost accounts describe Rabbi Shlomo (Solomon) as a shaliach, an emissary sent from the Land of Israel to collect funds for its Jewish communities, who reached Morocco about 500 years ago and died in the Ourika Valley. Sources place his death around the 15th century, without a firm date. His name is written in many ways: Bel Hench, Bel Hensh, Ben Lhench, Bel-Hench. [Moroccan Jewish heritage sources](https://moroccanjews.org/home/sites-of-jewish-interest/the-imperial-cities/marrakesh/jewish-sites-in-the-marrakesh-region/) call the shrine at Aghbalou one of the important Jewish sites of the region.\n\nHe is one of the saints honoured by both communities. According to [Yabiladi](https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/83872/jewish-pilgrimage-morocco-rabbi-shlomo.html), Muslims of the valley visit him under the name Moul Asguine. This shared devotion to holy men, Jewish and Muslim, is an old feature of rural Morocco.\n\n### The legends\n\nThe stories told about him vary from family to family. The best known says that, on his way back from Marrakech on a Friday, he raised his hand to the sun, which stopped setting until his mule reached the place where he wanted to be buried, so that he would not break Shabbat. Another links his name to a snake: in one version a snake encircled his head before he died, in another he turned into a snake to protect his belongings from bandits on the road. The caretakers and the pilgrims will tell you their own version.\n\n## The Jews of the Ourika Valley\n\nJews and Amazigh (Berber) families lived side by side in the valley for centuries. The same heritage source counts 18 Jewish settlements in the valley, and notes that many Jewish families moved to Marrakech in the 16th century at the request of the Saadian sultan. Accounts mention about 300 Jewish families, two synagogues and Jewish schools; they disagree on the period, some placing these figures in the 1590s, others in the middle of the 20th century.\n\nMost of the remaining families left for Israel in the 1950s and 1960s. The last of them was Hananiya Alfassi, often called the last Jew born in the valley. He guarded the shrine after his mother, Saada, until his own death in the 2010s; [a 2002 report in J. Weekly](https://jweekly.com/2002/03/22/in-morocco-s-mountains-elderly-jew-watches-the-shrine-of-his-holy-rebbe/) describes him alone beside three graves: his wife's, his mother's and the tzaddik's. The shrine is now looked after by a Muslim family close to him.\n\nTo understand the wider history of the valley, from Aghmat to the 1995 flood, read our [history of the Ourika Valley](https://ourika-valley.com/ourika-valley-history/).\n\n## What you find at the shrine\n\nThe shrine is a place of prayer, not a museum. The tomb stands in a room lit by windows of coloured glass; the white marble tomb was offered in 1976 by Moroccan Jews living abroad, and prayer books line the room. Visitors pray, read psalms and light candles by the tomb. A [2022 guide](https://old.newyorkjewishtravelguide.com/2022/06/07/discover-the-jewish-past-of-moroccos-berber-villages/) also mentions guest rooms for pilgrims who spend Shabbat there and a restored synagogue.\n\nThe graves of Hananiya Alfassi, of his wife Yamna and of his mother Saada are close to the rabbi's tomb. Many visitors stop there too.\n\nThere are no published opening hours: the shrine is kept by a caretaker family, and it is their home as well as a holy place. Be patient, greet them, and follow their indications.\n\n## The day, stop by stop\n\n### Morning: the Ourika road and a women's cooperative\n\nYour driver collects you in Marrakech in the morning. The road crosses the plain, passes Tnine Ourika, where the valley begins about 30 km from the city, and follows the river into the hills. On the way we stop at a women's [argan cooperative](https://ourika-valley.com/services/womens-argan-oil-cooperative/): you see the kernels roasted and ground by hand, and you can buy oil or cosmetics directly from the women, if you wish.\n\n### Late morning: the shrine near Aghbalou\n\nHigher up, near Aghbalou, where the road to Oukaïmeden branches off, we stop at the shrine. This is the moment of the day that belongs to you: prayer, candles, a quiet time by the graves. Some groups stay twenty minutes, others more than an hour. Your driver waits, there is no fixed schedule.\n\n### Midday: a pause by the river\n\nMeals are not included. Most groups eat the kosher food they brought from Marrakech at a quiet spot by the river; your driver knows several. If you are not keeping kosher, the river restaurants of the valley serve tagines and grilled meat, paid on the spot.\n\n### Afternoon: Setti Fatma and the waterfalls\n\nThe road ends at [Setti Fatma](https://ourika-valley.com/services/visit-the-village-of-setti-fatma-ourika-valley/), the last village, at about 1,500 m. A rocky path climbs the gorge towards the first of the seven waterfalls, about an hour to an hour and a half there and back. A local guide walks with you and chooses the safest way. Then the drive back to Marrakech, arriving in the late afternoon.\n\n## Timing of the day\n\n| Time | Stop |\n|---|---|\n| Morning | Pickup at your hotel or riad in Marrakech |\n| About 1 hour later | Women's argan cooperative on the Ourika road |\n| Late morning | Shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench near Aghbalou |\n| Midday | Pause by the river, with your own food |\n| Afternoon | Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls |\n| Late afternoon | Back in Marrakech |\n\nThe times are a guide. The trip is private, so you set the pace, and the time at the shrine is never cut short.\n\n## How much does the Jewish heritage day trip cost?\n\nThe price is per vehicle, not per person, and it is the same as our [private Ourika Valley day trip](https://ourika-valley.com/day-trip-ourika-valley/):\n\n| Group | Vehicle | Price |\n|---|---|---|\n| 1 to 2 people | Minivan | 140 EUR |\n| 3 to 4 people | Minivan | 160 EUR |\n| 5 to 7 people | Minivan | 190 EUR |\n| 8 to 17 people | Minibus | 280 EUR |\n\nThe price covers the vehicle, fuel, the driver, the local guide for the waterfalls walk and pickup and drop-off at your hotel or riad. For a family of four, it comes to 40 EUR each.\n\n### What is not included\n\n- **Not included:** meals and drinks, donations at the shrine, tips and purchases at the cooperative.\n\n## When should you go?\n\nThe trip runs all year. Spring, from March to May, gives a green valley and full waterfalls; autumn is calm and mild. In winter the mornings are cold at Aghbalou and Setti Fatma, so bring a warm layer. In summer, storms can build over the mountains in the afternoon: our drivers watch the sky and the river. Check our [weather page](https://ourika-valley.com/services/weather-ourika-valley/) a few days before.\n\n### The hiloula\n\nThe hiloula, the anniversary of the rabbi's death, falls on 23 Shevat. In 2027 that is Sunday 31 January, and in 2028, 20 February. On that day pilgrims come from Israel, France and Morocco, and the shrine is crowded and joyful. If you want to be there, book early. If you prefer a quiet visit, choose another date.\n\n### Shabbat\n\nThe trip is a day by car. If you keep Shabbat, choose a date from Sunday to Thursday: on Friday the return is close to sunset in winter. You choose the date yourself when you book.\n\n## How to prepare\n\n- **Food:** bring your own kosher food and water from Marrakech. There is no kosher restaurant in the valley.\n- **Clothing:** modest clothes for the shrine, shoes with a good grip for the path to the waterfalls, a warm layer from November to March.\n- **For prayer:** a kippah for men, your siddur or book of psalms, and candles if you wish to light some.\n- **Photos:** ask the caretakers before taking photos inside the shrine.\n- **Cash:** a few dirhams for the cooperative, tips or a donation for the upkeep of the shrine, if you wish.\n\n## A private day, at your pace\n\nThe vehicle and the driver are for your group only. Nobody hurries you at the shrine, and you can skip the cooperative or the waterfalls walk if you prefer to stay longer in prayer. Families, older travellers and groups from a synagogue or a community are welcome, up to 17 people online; above that, contact us.\n\nOur drivers have driven this road for years. They speak French, English and Spanish.\n\n## Booking, payment and cancellation\n\nYou book on this page: choose the date, the number of people and your pickup address, then pay a 50% deposit online with PayPal or a bank card through PayPal. You receive your confirmation and voucher by e-mail at once. The balance is paid in cash to the driver on the day.\n\nCancellation is free up to 48 hours before the trip, with the deposit refunded in full. If the weather or the river make the valley unsafe, we move your date or refund your deposit. For any question, write to us on WhatsApp.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Jewish sites in the Marrakesh region, Moroccan Jews](https://moroccanjews.org/home/sites-of-jewish-interest/the-imperial-cities/marrakesh/jewish-sites-in-the-marrakesh-region/)\n- [Jewish pilgrimage in Morocco: Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, Ourika's beloved saint, Yabiladi, 2019](https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/83872/jewish-pilgrimage-morocco-rabbi-shlomo.html)\n- [In Morocco's mountains, elderly Jew watches the shrine of his holy rebbe, J. Weekly, 2002](https://jweekly.com/2002/03/22/in-morocco-s-mountains-elderly-jew-watches-the-shrine-of-his-holy-rebbe/)\n- [Discover the Jewish past of Morocco's Berber villages, New York Jewish Travel Guide, 2022](https://old.newyorkjewishtravelguide.com/2022/06/07/discover-the-jewish-past-of-moroccos-berber-villages/)\n- [Tomb of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hensh, Tripadvisor visitor reviews](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1847424-d11815391-Reviews-Tomb_of_Rabbi_Shlomo_Bel_Hensh-Ourika_Marrakech_Tensift_El_Haouz_Region.html)",
 "offer": "jewish-heritage"
}