Prince Albert II of Monaco Visits Bayt Dakira in Essaouira

Prince Albert II of Monaco paid, on Friday afternoon, a visit to the emblematic space of Bayt Dakira in Essaouira, a highly spiritual and patrimonial place for the preservation and promotion of the Jewish-Moroccan memory.

Exhaustive explanations were given to the Monegasque Sovereign who is on a private visit in Essaouira by André Azoulay, Advisor to King Mohammed VI and Founding President of the Essaouira-Mogador Association, on the emblematic Slat Attia synagogue, as well as on the richness and diversity of the cultural and religious heritage of the Moroccan Jewish community.

Azoulay also provided clarifications on various objects, texts and photos, in addition to Judaism’s exceptional saga in Essaouira and its heritage, including tea ceremonies, the Hebrew poetic art, goldsmithing and embroidery, which all influenced Mogador during the 18th and 19th centuries.

In a statement to the media at the end of the visit to Bayt Dakira, Prince Albert II said that he was “very happy to be in Morocco and in this beautiful historic city of Essaouira,” and that he was “very impressed by what has been achieved in this magnificent space of memory.”

The sovereign of Monaco also said he was pleased to see how this “highlights Essaouira’s rich heritage,” and goes “in the perspective of showing the importance of the Jewish and Muslim cultures, without forgetting the Amazigh culture, which are all part of the history of this city and Morocco.”

This is “an example for all of us that there can be a peaceful coexistence, which can contribute to the richness of a city and a country,” he argued. “I am very happy to have made this visit and I will really keep a moving memory.”

Bayt Dakira, which presents and explains all the passages of Jewish life in Essaouira, from birth to death and from Bar Mitzvah to marriage, is also a place of education thanks to the Haim and Celia Zafrani Research Center on the history of relations between Judaism and Islam, which constitutes a space of exchange between researchers of various horizons and a space of sharing, transmission and resistance to amnesia.