Tetouan Road City, north-central Morocco. It lies at the southwestern edge of the
Rif Mountains. Ouezzane is situated on the northern slope of Mount Bouhelal,at
an elevation of 1,066 feet (325 m). It was founded in 1727 as religious
community on the site of a village named Dechra Jebel er-Rihan("Village
of the Mount of Myrtles") by Moulay 'Abd Allah, a descendant of Idris II.
It has served as a zawiyah (monastic complex) of the Taiba (a Sufi [mystical]
brotherhood). Ouezzane is considered to be one of thesacred cities of the
Maghrib, the region in North Africa comprising th Atlas Massif and the
Mediterranean coastal plain of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and is hence
a pilgrimage centre. In 1920 the city was occupiedby the French. Cereals
and cattle are raised in the vicinity of Ouezzane, and the city also serves
as a local market centre. Pop. (1982) 40,485. *
Ouezzane is also holy to jews. Nearby Asjen (9 Km North East) holds
the tomb of Rabbi Imran Ben Diwan who came to Morocco from Hebron to collect
money for Israel and died in this mountain village in 1782. Every year
numbers of jews pilgrims come to visit his tomb and celebrate Hilula. However
the jewish community who mainly resided in Mellahs just like other towns
in Morocco has left Ouezzane in the 50s and 60s to immigrate to Israel
and elsewhere. At present time no jew lives in the city. Even Rabbi Imran
Ben Diwan's tomb is guarded by muslim families.
City, north-central Morocco. It lies at
the southwestern edge of the Rif Mountains. tomb is guarded by muslim families.
D'MAONA
Ouezzane
