Who he was
Accounts of his birth differ. Some say he was born in Tetouan around 1670, others that he was born in Safi, where he lived for years. Orphaned young, he studied as a teenager with Rabbi Joseph Bueno de Mesquita and studied in the rabbinical schools of Fes, staying about two years in the period around 1695 to 1698.
He settled in Agadir in 1699 and became a prosperous merchant; the scholar Issachar Ben-Ami described him as a very wealthy man. He was known as a kabbalist and poet and wrote two books, Kaf Naqi and Qol Rinah. The University of Haifa project calls him a merchant, poet and exegete, and the dominant rabbinic figure of Agadir in his century.
His life had real sorrows. Some of his manuscripts were lost while a mule carried them through Tamri, his only son was killed on his wedding day, and his wife and a daughter died in the plague that struck the city in 1728.
A tradition about seven ships
Local Jewish tradition tells that seven laden ships arrived for him on Yom Kippur. Unwilling to be distracted from prayer, he asked God to sink them, and the story says they reappear only on Yom Kippur each year. It is a legend, and a good example of the stories that grew around Morocco’s tzaddikim.
The grave and the shrine
He was first buried in Agadir’s old cemetery. In 1927 the authorities decided to move the grave; a eulogy was delivered and a public fast was declared in Agadir that day. A marble shrine was built over the new grave in Talborjt, and over time it drew both Jews and Muslims of the city.
The 1960 earthquake destroyed much of old Agadir. Our sources do not say how the shrine fared, but reporting from 2019 describes pilgrims continuing to visit it, so we confirm its current condition before any trip.
The hilloula
A hilloula is the anniversary of a tzaddik’s death, marked with prayer, candles, music and shared meals at the grave. Rabbi Khalifa Ben Malka’s falls on 3 Elul, in late summer, when Jews from Morocco and abroad come to Agadir. See our hilloula pilgrimages guide for how these gatherings work.
Visiting outside the pilgrimage
Outside the hilloula, a visit depends on finding the keyholder or caretaker, which we arrange in advance. Plan it alongside the Agadir Jewish cemetery, where many earthquake victims are buried.
Tomb of Rabbi Khalifa Ben Malka: questions travellers ask
When is the Rabbi Khalifa Ben Malka hilloula?
On 3 Elul in the Hebrew calendar, which falls in August or September.
Did the shrine survive the 1960 earthquake?
Our sources do not say directly. Pilgrims are reported to visit it today, and we confirm its condition before your trip.
Where was he born?
Sources differ: some say Tetouan around 1670, others Safi.
Can I visit outside the hilloula?
Usually yes, by arrangement with whoever holds the key. We organise this in advance.
Sources. Yabiladi; University of Haifa, Moroccan Jewish Communities project (Souss). Researched and fact-checked by Gateway2Morocco, October 2026. Access to religious sites changes; we confirm every visit when we plan your trip.
