Jewish heritage day trip in the Ourika Valley, private from Marrakech

By the Ourika Valley team · Updated 6 November 2026

• 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

The day, stop by stop

1. Pickup at your hotel or riad

   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.

2. The Ourika road and a women's cooperative

   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.

3. The shrine of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, near Aghbalou

   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.

4. Setti Fatma and the walk towards the waterfalls

   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.

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. 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.

We 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.

What is the Jewish heritage day trip?

It 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.

The 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.

Who was Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench?

Most 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 call the shrine at Aghbalou one of the important Jewish sites of the region.

He is one of the saints honoured by both communities. According to Yabiladi, 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.

The legends

The 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.

The Jews of the Ourika Valley

Jews 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.

Most 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 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.

To understand the wider history of the valley, from Aghmat to the 1995 flood, read our history of the Ourika Valley.

What you find at the shrine

The 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 also mentions guest rooms for pilgrims who spend Shabbat there and a restored synagogue.

The 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.

There 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.

The day, stop by stop

Morning: the Ourika road and a women's cooperative

Your 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: you see the kernels roasted and ground by hand, and you can buy oil or cosmetics directly from the women, if you wish.

Late morning: the shrine near Aghbalou

Higher 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.

Midday: a pause by the river

Meals 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.

Afternoon: Setti Fatma and the waterfalls

The road ends at Setti Fatma, 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.

Timing of the day

The times are a guide. The trip is private, so you set the pace, and the time at the shrine is never cut short.

How much does the Jewish heritage day trip cost?

The price is per vehicle, not per person, and it is the same as our private Ourika Valley day trip:

The 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.

What is not included

• Not included: meals and drinks, donations at the shrine, tips and purchases at the cooperative.

When should you go?

The 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 a few days before.

The hiloula

The 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.

Shabbat

The 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.

How to prepare

• Food: bring your own kosher food and water from Marrakech. There is no kosher restaurant in the valley.
• Clothing: modest clothes for the shrine, shoes with a good grip for the path to the waterfalls, a warm layer from November to March.
• For prayer: a kippah for men, your siddur or book of psalms, and candles if you wish to light some.
• Photos: ask the caretakers before taking photos inside the shrine.
• Cash: a few dirhams for the cooperative, tips or a donation for the upkeep of the shrine, if you wish.

A private day, at your pace

The 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.

Our drivers have driven this road for years. They speak French, English and Spanish.

Booking, payment and cancellation

You 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.

Cancellation 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.

Sources

• Jewish sites in the Marrakesh region, Moroccan Jews
• Jewish pilgrimage in Morocco: Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hench, Ourika's beloved saint, Yabiladi, 2019
• In Morocco's mountains, elderly Jew watches the shrine of his holy rebbe, J. Weekly, 2002
• Discover the Jewish past of Morocco's Berber villages, New York Jewish Travel Guide, 2022
• Tomb of Rabbi Shlomo Bel Hensh, Tripadvisor visitor reviews