EnglishPortuguese Quarter
Meknes, North Africa, Marocco
Housing
This Moroccan city was never ruled by Portugal. However from 1682, by order of the shariffs, all captives taken in Morocco belonged to the sovereign. All sources point out that one of the largest groups of captives was of Portuguese origin. In 1709 there were around 200; in 1723, there were still 190 people. Only the Spanish, with 400 and 200, respectively, surpassed the number of Portuguese. More recent studies show that each nationality of captives in Meknes occupied a quarter, or part of quarter, run by an administrator working along with the local mayor, and equipped with an hospital, usually run by a physician with the support of priests that lived in the city.
Nothing is known about the houses, the hospital or the place of worship (which must have existed) in the Portuguese quarter. It is however known that in 1692 the captives in this city were transferred to the Jewish quarter, or near it, and later on, near the mosque of Ez-Zaytuna (Saleh).