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Sidi Ben Achir Cemetery in Salé, Morocco
One of the most prominent cemeteries in Salé is the Sidi Ben Achir Cemetery, located along the Atlantic coast. This vast necropolis is named after Sidi Ben Achir, a revered 14th-century Sufi saint whose mausoleum is located at the north-eastern corner of its grounds. What make this cemetery unique is its massive size and picturesque location, with the ocean to the east and Kasbah des Oudayas to the south. The tombs of Sufi saints and revered figures within the cemetery attract pilgrims and visitors seeking blessings and spiritual guidance. This cemetery serves as places of reflection and contemplation. The intricate tombstones and mausoleums within the cemetery showcase the artistry and craftsmanship of Moroccan artisans. To be precise, this enormous necropolis comprises of three sections, namely Sidi Ben Achir, Maalka and Sidi Abdallah Benhassoun cemeteries, but they are contiguous, and their boundaries are not always clearly defined. This is why they are often considered as one entity and referred to by the name of the biggest cemetery: Sidi Ben Achir. The distance from Bab Jdid, the main gate at the southern corner, to the unnamed northernmost point is about 850 meters, and the width of the cemetery varies from 100 to 250 meters at its widest. This means that the combined area covered by this necropolis is about 13.5 hectares. Several roads cut this vast expanse of tombs into different sections, each navigable through dozens of narrow pathways. The number of people buried in these grounds is in the tens of thousands, but precise figures are not available. What is certain is that the variety in size, decoration, and color of these tombstones reflects the complex mosaic that is the Salé community.
One of the most prominent cemeteries in Salé is the Sidi Ben Achir Cemetery, located along the Atlantic coast. This vast necropolis is named after Sidi Ben Achir, a revered 14th-century Sufi saint whose mausoleum is located at the north-eastern corner of its grounds. What make this cemetery unique is its massive size and picturesque location, with the ocean to the east and Kasbah des Oudayas to the south. The tombs of Sufi saints and revered figures within the cemetery attract pilgrims and visitors seeking blessings and spiritual guidance. This cemetery serves as places of reflection and contemplation. The intricate tombstones and mausoleums within the cemetery showcase the artistry and craftsmanship of Moroccan artisans.
To be precise, this enormous necropolis comprises of three sections, namely Sidi Ben Achir, Maalka and Sidi Abdallah Benhassoun cemeteries, but they are contiguous, and their boundaries are not always clearly defined. This is why they are often considered as one entity and referred to by the name of the biggest cemetery: Sidi Ben Achir. The distance from Bab Jdid, the main gate at the southern corner, to the unnamed northernmost point is about 850 meters, and the width of the cemetery varies from 100 to 250 meters at its widest. This means that the combined area covered by this necropolis is about 13.5 hectares. Several roads cut this vast expanse of tombs into different sections, each navigable through dozens of narrow pathways.
The number of people buried in these grounds is in the tens of thousands, but precise figures are not available. What is certain is that the variety in size, decoration, and color of these tombstones reflects the complex mosaic that is the Salé community.
