Ibn Danan Synagogue, Fes

The 17th-century synagogue, once belonging to a family of rabbis originally from Andalusia, looks like it got squished between the houses in the Mellah. Influenced by Islamic design, the building is decked with some mosaic tile decoration.

You enter through a modest doorway that blends right in with the neighboring houses. Inside, the space is split into four aisles. A trap door within the aisle furthest to the right leads to a steep stairway descending to a "mikve" — a bath for ritual purification where worshippers would cleanse themselves of sins. Above this fourth aisle lies the "azara", or women's gallery, providing an elevated perspective of the synagogue. It's worth stepping out onto the terrace for a panoramic vista of the Mellah and the white tombs of the Jewish cemetery below.

Following a period of neglect, the synagogue got fixed up in collaboration with the World Monuments Funds and Morocco's Ministry of Culture, reopening its doors to the public in 1999. While there is no entrance fee, visitors are encouraged to make a small donation to support its upkeep.