Landmark · Mellah
Synagogue Haïm Pinto
The Haïm Pinto synagogue is in the rabbi’s former house in the mellah, 60 m from Slat Lkahal. As of 17 October 2026, nobody publishes its opening hours or a price. Save its coordinates before you set off: 31.515953, −9.767328. The next hiloula, on 26 Elul, falls on 28 September 2027.
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A prayer hall in the rabbi’s house
Rabbi Haïm Pinto lived in this house in the mellah, which holds the synagogue that bears his name.
Rabbi Haïm Pinto was born in Agadir on 15 Tammuz 5509, which was 1 July 1749. When his teacher Rabbi Yaakov Bibas died in 1769, the Essaouira community made him its dayan, the rabbinical judge. He died aged 96 on 26 Elul 5605, which was 28 September 1845.
With no resident Jewish community left in town, the people who come here are mostly pilgrims and tour groups. Our view: the hall alone is not worth a walk across the medina. Pair it with the Slat Lkahal synagogue on rue du Mellah, 60 m away, and Bayt Dakira, near Place Moulay Hassan. All three fit into one outing.
Hours, Saturdays and prices: what we know on 17 October 2026
Neither the synagogue, the Hevrat Pinto nor any institution publishes opening hours. Timetables do circulate on travel sites, with no official source behind them, and we do not repeat them. Saturday is Shabbat, and nothing official says whether the house takes visitors then. Our advice: come on a weekday, in the middle of the day, as for the rest of the mellah.
No price is published either. We give neither an entry fee nor a tip amount, so ask at the door before you go in.
The house is not mapped on OpenStreetMap as of 17 October 2026. A plaque in Hebrew and French marks the door, photographed in September 2020. The synagogue stands at 31.515953, −9.767328, within 3 m of the geotag of a photo taken inside. From Bab Doukkala it is a 4-minute walk by way of Slat Lkahal. Our advice: save that point before you head into the lanes of the mellah rather than rely on a map app.
The September hiloula
Every year on 26 Elul, pilgrims come for the hiloula, the anniversary of the rabbi’s death. The date falls in September and moves from year to year: 8 September in 2026, 28 September in 2027, by our reckoning. Like every day in the Hebrew calendar, it begins at sunset the evening before. Prayers are said at his grave in the old Jewish cemetery.
In 2025 the hiloula ran from 17 to 21 September according to Morocco World News, which also calls it four days. Rabbi David Hanania Pinto, of the rabbi’s family, presided. The same paper counts “hundreds” of pilgrims, and its “over 2,000” figure points back to a 2022 report. No official figure is published. As of 17 October 2026, we had found no report of the 8 September 2026 edition.
The old Jewish cemetery lies outside the ramparts, near Bab Doukkala. Our view: if you are here for heritage rather than pilgrimage, avoid hiloula week. The mellah is given over to the pilgrims then, and the town’s ramparts and gates offer another outing on those days.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you visit the Haïm Pinto synagogue?
Nobody publishes opening hours or visiting conditions as of 17 October 2026. Turn up at the door on a weekday, in the middle of the day, and ask.
Is the Haïm Pinto synagogue open on Saturday?
No official source says. Saturday is Shabbat, and we suggest planning your visit for another day.
When is the hiloula of Rabbi Haïm Pinto?
On 26 Elul in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in September and shifts each year. It falls on 28 September 2027, and the 2025 edition ran from 17 to 21 September.
Where is Rabbi Haïm Pinto buried?
In Essaouira’s old Jewish cemetery, outside the ramparts near Bab Doukkala. That is where the hiloula prayers are said.
How much does it cost to visit the Haïm Pinto synagogue?
No price is published as of 17 October 2026, by the synagogue or any institution. We give neither a fee nor a tip amount, so ask at the door.
How do you find the Haïm Pinto synagogue in the mellah?
Save the coordinates 31.515953, −9.767328 before you set off. It is 60 m from Slat Lkahal, and a plaque in Hebrew and French marks the door of the house.