Sefrou

Founded in 682, a century before the kingdom’s spiritual capital, Sefrou – literally meaning greenery at the foot of the mountain in Amazigh – located 28 km from Fez and standing at 850 meters above sea level, has always been nicknamed the oasis without a palm tree or the garden of the kingdom, a garden that all the sovereigns of Morocco have carefully protected.

With its 1500-meter-long ramparts and its 7 gates, a lucky number in Arab and Amazigh culture, Sefrou has become famous for its waterfalls of about 10 meters high and the waters of the Oued Aggay which have made its lands fertile, allowing many fruit trees to grow, the most well-known being the cherry tree.

The Famous Black Cherry of Sefrou

The cherry of Sefrou, renowned throughout the kingdom, stands out for its black color, its very sweet taste and a weight of more than 14g. Attached to this fruit, the people of Sefrou dedicate a festival to it every year, which sees the election of Miss Cerisette, a young girl chosen among the most beautiful young girls in the kingdom, regardless of her faith. Because Sefrou is also known for its graceful tolerance and the harmonious coexistence of the three religions, as evidenced by these verses by Cheikh Abdelkader Timouri, in tribute to Morocco’s oldest cherry festival, celebrated every mid-June since 1920:

A Few Verses of Sefrou

O you visitor,

Have you been told of the beauty of this city?

Its gardens, its waterfalls and its sites

Offer you the joy of the eyes and the happiness of living.

Its climate, its water and its cherries

Are for you the cure of all ills.

Whether you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim,

The inhabitants of this city welcome you with open arms.

And, from daybreak, take you to the highest point of the hill

To gather the baraka of the venerated saint Sidi Ali Bousserghine.