| Taliouine | |
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Morocco's Capital of Saffron |
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Ighil n Oghil, the Mellah of Taliouine |
Taliouine, located in the valley of Casbahs between Taroudant and Ouarzazate, is the source of Moroccan saffron. Saffron is the red spice that adds a delicious flavor and beautiful yellow color to paella and other rice dishes. It comes from wild flowers growing on the mountainside. Women collect the stigma from each flower, in a long and painstaking process. Prior to the 1960's, the Jews of Taliouine helped finance saffron production and trade. |
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Ighil n Oghil - The Mellah of Taliouine |
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Exterior of restored synagogue of Ighil n Oghil |
Fifteen kilometers west of Taliouine is the
mellah of Ighil n Oghil (pronounced Iril n Oril). It is in a large
adobe town containing the ruins of a palace of a Glaoui family
member. The Glaoui family dominated this region during the time of
the French protectorate. The population of Ighil n Oghil is haratine,
black Moroccans who originated south of the Sahara. Within the mellah is
an extraordinary synagogue, reconstructed by the Foundation for the
Preservation of Moroccan Jewish Culture. Built entirely of mud clay and
bricks, it is full of arches and has sculpted windows with diamond
designs. Stone benches surround the main room and the alcove
behind the bima. It is one of the best preserved monuments to the
Berber Jews, who were such an important population in southern Morocco
until the middle of the 20th century.
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