Mausoleum of Sidi Ben Aïssa

Meknes


Known as Cheikh El Kamel for his perfection in learning, Sidi Ben Aïssa (1465–1526) inspired the Aïssawa Sufi brotherhood, widely followed in North Africa. Once notorious for self-mutilation, adherents are now better known for their intense, trance-inducing music and their ecstatic emotional response. The tomb (closed to non-Muslims) is a year-round pilgrimage site, but especially lively during the annual moussem.