Sefrou () is a city in central

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

situated in the Fès-Meknès region. It recorded a population of 79,887 in the

2014 Moroccan census The 2014 Moroccan census was held in Morocco between 1 September and 20 September 2014. The census was conducted by the High Planning Commission. Sefrou is known for its historical Jewish population, and its annual cherry festival.

History

Sefrou was named for the ''Ahel Sefrou'', a

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

tribe that once inhabited the area. Sefrou's name might be brought from the berber name "''Asfru''" (ⴰⵙⴼⵔⵓ) which means "the solution" (in

). Sefrou was once home to one of the largest settlements of

Moroccan Jews Moroccan Jews (; ; ) are Jews who live in or are from Morocco. Moroccan Jews constitute an ancient community dating to Roman Empire, Roman times. Jews began immigrating to the region as early as 70 CE. They were much later met by a second wave o ...

, the population estimated to have been as high as 8,000. The first Jewish people lived in the area of the Ahel Sefrou, most of whom were converted to

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

around 2,000 years ago. In the 8th century, most of these were converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

under Idris I of Morocco. In the 9th century, a second Jewish population settled from the Tafilalt area and Southern

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. Most of the descendants of these Jews stayed in Sefrou until 1967, when many moved to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Idris II of Morocco lived in Sefrou temporarily while overseeing the development of Fez. On October 10, 1946, an Amiot AAC.1 (F-BCAA) of Air Ocean crashed into a cliff at 3,600 feet 6.3 miles (10 km) south the city, killing all 16 onboard.

Geography

Sefrou is located at the edge of the Middle Atlas mountain range, and is southeast of Fez. Oued Aggai runs through the city, and about west of Sefrou are the Cascades, a small waterfall. Wadi Aggai also takes part in irrigation for the area. The Kef el-Moumen caves contain ancient tombs, one of which is claimed to be the tomb of Daniel. There is also a spring near Sefrou called Lalla Rekia, which is purported to cure insanity.

Culture

Sefrou is known for its Sefrou Cherry Festival, which is

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

-endorsed, and is held annually every June. This festival, originally launched back in 1920, consists in a beauty contest in which Moroccan women would apply for the prestigious title of ''Miss Cherry''. The festival lasts for three days and includes

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

, Moroccan traditional cuisine, fantasia performances, and sporting events. The town has a medina and two mosques, and every Thursday is market day.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Sefrou Province Sefrou

Sefrou Sefrou () is a city in central Morocco situated in the Fès-Meknès region. It recorded a population of 79,887 in the 2014 Moroccan census, up from 63,872 in the 2004 census. Sefrou is known for its historical Jewish population, and its annual che ...