The Seven Saints of Marrakech

The cult of the seven saints was formalised in the 17th century by the Sufi master Abu Ali al-Hassan al-Yusi, under the patronage of Sultan Moulay Ismail. But the saints themselves lived between the 12th and 16th centuries. The formalisation was political — a way to establish Marrakech as a sacred city to rival Fes.

The seven: Sidi Youssef Ben Ali, the leper saint who healed others while bearing illness himself. Sidi Qadi Iyyad, the great jurist and author of Al-Shifa. Sidi Bel Abbes, the most beloved, patron of the blind and the poor. Sidi Ben Slimane al-Jazouli, the mystic whose tomb draws thousands. Sidi Abdel Aziz, the scholar from Marrakech's intellectual golden age. Sidi Abdullah al-Ghazwani, teacher and spiritual guide. Sidi Abderrahman al-Suhayli, the Andalusian commentator.

Their tombs are scattered across the medina. The traditional pilgrimage visits all seven in a single day — a circuit that takes roughly six hours on foot. Each tomb is a zaouia — a shrine and community centre that feeds the poor, shelters travelers, and hosts dhikr ceremonies.

Sidi Bel Abbes is the most visited. His zaouia in the north of the medina distributes food daily. The blind have special status there — Sidi Bel Abbes is said to have declared that Marrakech would always care for those who could not see. The gate nearest his tomb — Bab Taghzout — is sometimes called the Gate of the Saint.

The moussem — annual festival — of each saint draws pilgrims from across Morocco. These are not tourist events. They are living devotional practices with music, communal meals, and overnight vigils at the tomb.

The seven saints circuit is Marrakech's oldest layer — older than the souks, older than the palaces, older than the gardens. It is the sacred geography beneath the tourist geography.

Explore the full interactive module — with tomb locations mapped, saint biographies, and the zaouia network of Marrakech — at Dancing with Lions: https://www.dancingwiththelions.com/data/seven-saints