At the heart of Essaouira’s medina, one place embodies the spirit of dialogue and coexistence: Bayt Dakira, the “House of Memory.” In March and April, this space hosted The Beit Project’s local teams, along with the students taking part in workshops across the city.

From the moment visitors step inside, they are greeted with a message: “Salam Lekoulam, Shalom Aleykoum.” Blending Arabic and Hebrew, this inscription resonates deeply with the word Beit, which means “house” in both languages.

Inaugurated in 2020, Bayt Dakira is part of a broader effort to preserve and promote Essaouira’s Jewish heritage, in dialogue with the city’s Muslim history. The project emerged through the mobilization of local stakeholders and associations—particularly the Essaouira-Mogador Association—with the support of Moroccan institutions, driven by a shared commitment to highlighting the richness of a common heritage shaped over time by coexistence and exchange.

Housed in restored buildings within the medina, the site notably includes a rehabilitated former synagogue and a research space dedicated to the history of Jewish-Muslim relations. It reflects an approach to memory that is at once historical, cultural, and living—deeply rooted in the reality of Essaouira and its inhabitants.

As visitors move through its rooms, archives, objects, and photographs reveal the richness of Essaouira’s heritage and the everyday lives of the communities that have shaped the city over centuries. Yet Bayt Dakira is far from a static museum: exhibitions, concerts, conferences, and gatherings make it a vibrant space, as engaged with the present as it is with memory.

It is precisely this living dimension that resonates with The Beit Project’s approach. Through its workshops, the project invites young people to see heritage sites differently—not simply as remnants of the past, but as starting points for exploring contemporary issues, engaging in dialogue, and building connections across generations and cultures.