מקנס — בית החיים הישן

Meknes — the old bais hachaim, kever of Rabbi Raphael Berdugo

Meknes (Meknès) · מקנס

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Visitor experience

Practical notes from visitors — access, directions, and the condition of the site.

How to get there

Old Jewish cemetery, in the mellah of Meknes, Fès-Meknès region, Morocco — no street address is published here; ask at the mellah

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The exact grave coordinates are not confirmed yet — go by the address and ask locally. We don't publish a coordinate we haven't checked.

1.The cemetery was restored on the order of King Mohammed VI, whose 2010 programme covered more than 170 Jewish cemeteries across Morocco. It is in better condition than most and was formally rededicated with Moroccan Jews from around the world in attendance.
2.Rabbi Raphael Berdugo's kever is the reason most people come, and it is a working pilgrimage site rather than a ruin.
3.Meknes and Fez are an hour apart, and the Fez mellah bais hachaim is already listed on this site — most people do both in one trip.
4.We are printing no gate contact and no opening time, because we could not stand behind either. Ask the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, or the community in Fez, before setting out.

Restored and maintained cemetery, but access is through a caretaker rather than an open gate. Arrange it in advance rather than arriving and hoping.

U.S. State Department · Morocco

Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution

Reissued after periodic review with minor edits. Exercise increased caution in Morocco due to terrorism . Country Summary: Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Morocco. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning. They target tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, and loc…

Updated Apr 21, 2025. Read the full advisory →

Who is buried here

Known kevarim

רבי רפאל בירדוגו

Rabbi Raphael Berdugo

HaMalach — the Angel

Yahrzeit: 1821

Born in Meknes in 1747 into the Berdugo rabbinic family and dayan of the city, he was the figure Maghrebi Jewry turned to through the riots of 1790 to 1792. Known as HaMalach, the Angel. He was niftar in 1821, and the two-hundredth anniversary of his petirah was marked at this cemetery in 2021.

Verification and source

No public access contact has been verified for this cemetery yet.

Read the cemetery source →