Prince Albert II of Monaco arrived Friday morning in Essaouira for a private visit. On the same day, he paid a visit to the emblematic “Bayt Dakira” space in Essaouira, this spiritual and heritage center for the preservation and enhancement of Judeo-Moroccan memory.
During this visit, which took place in the presence of the delegation accompanying Prince Albert II, the presidents of the provincial and municipal councils of Essaouira, members of these two elected bodies and various actors and personalities of the city, exhaustive explanations were given to the Monegasque Sovereign by the King’s Counselor and Founding President of the Essaouira-Mogador Association, André Azoulay, on the emblematic Synagogue “Slat Attia” as well as on the richness and diversity of the cultural and religious heritage of the Moroccan Jewish community housed in “Bayt Dakira”.
Azoulay also provided clarifications on the various objects, texts, photos and the film of the exceptional saga of Judaism in the city of Essaouira and its heritage: from the tea ceremony to Hebrew poetic art, from goldsmithing from gold and silver filigree to embroidery and the making of sumptuous caftans, from cultural arts to literature and from the rituals of the Synagogue to the great trading posts that made Mogador shine in the 18th and 19th century.
In a statement to the press at the end of this visit to Bayt Dakira, Prince Albert II said he was “very happy to be in Morocco and in this magnificent historic city of Essaouira”, saying he was “very impressed by what was created in this magnificent space of memory to highlight the rich heritage of this city and its region, but also with a view to showing the importance of the two Jewish and Muslim cultures, without forgetting the Amazigh culture, which are part of the history of this city and of Morocco”.
It is “an example for all of us that there can be peaceful coexistence, which can contribute to the wealth of a city and a country”, he argued.
“I am very happy to have made this visit and I will keep fond memories of it,” concluded the Monegasque Sovereign.
“Bayt Dakira”, which presents and explains all the passages of Jewish life in Essaouira, from birth to death and from the Bar Mitzvah to marriage, is also a place of education thanks to the Haim and Célia Zafrani Research Center on the history of Relations between Judaism and Islam, which constitutes a space for exchange between researchers from various backgrounds and a space for sharing, transmission and resistance to amnesia.
