A dirt road leads to a compound of buildings enclosed by a gate, overshadowed by mountains and built on rocky terrain in the village of Ouirgane. Inside the shrine are three different tombs, leaving the precise burial spot of Rabbi Haim Ben Diwan in doubt — befitting the mysterious circumstances of his death. Two of the graves are identified with markings that appear to indicate it is of Ben Diwan. But which one? The other two are believed to be for two of his disciples. Artifacts, some dating to at least the 1700s, adorn the room, including candlesticks, menorahs, Torah scroll crowns, the Ten Commandments (in Hebrew) etched on a plate, and a flower vase.

Father: Haim Ben Diwan is the son of 18th Century Amiran ben Diwan, a fundraiser from the land of Israel and a revered rabbi with his own major pilgrimage site in northern Morocco. Arriving in 1763, he established a yeshivah (religious school) in Wazan, from where he set-off traveling around the country with his son preaching and, in the eyes of many, performing miracles. The most famous story is of how Haim took deathly ill, only to recover shortly before his father’s death; Rabbi Amiran ben Diwan’s prayers having been answered.

Son: Legend has it that Haim Ben Diwan, while traveling the south to continue his father’s mission, was followed by unknown people from the mountains who wanted to kill him. Why, or how he knew, is unclear. What is said is that he went into a cave to avoid capture, which succeeded perhaps too well. Not only did they not find him, but no one has ever found him. Three different tombs are in the shrine leaving the precise burial spot in doubt.

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