h ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 6 th ▁century , ▁the ▁Jewish ▁quarter ▁had ▁an ▁estimated ▁population ▁of ▁ 4 0 0 0 ▁at ▁this ▁time . ▁The ▁infl ux ▁of ▁migr ants ▁also ▁rev ital ized ▁Jewish ▁cultural ▁activity ▁in ▁the ▁following ▁years , ▁while ▁splitting ▁the ▁community ▁along ▁eth nic ▁lines ▁for ▁many ▁gener ations . ▁The ▁Meg or ash im ▁of ▁Spanish ▁origin ▁retained ▁their ▁her itage ▁and ▁their ▁Spanish ▁language ▁while ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁Mor oc can ▁T os hav im , ▁who ▁spoke ▁Arab ic ▁and ▁were ▁of ▁Arab ▁and ▁Ber ber ▁her itage , ▁followed ▁their ▁own ▁trad itions . ▁M embers ▁of ▁the ▁two ▁communities ▁worship ed ▁in ▁separate ▁syn agog ues ▁and ▁were ▁even ▁buried ▁separately . ▁It ▁was ▁only ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁that ▁the ▁two ▁communities ▁eventually ▁bl ended ▁together , ▁with ▁Arab ic ▁eventually ▁becoming ▁the ▁main ▁language ▁of ▁the ▁entire ▁community ▁while ▁the ▁Spanish ▁( Se ph ard ic ) ▁min h ag ▁became ▁dominant ▁in ▁religious ▁practice . ▁ ▁The ▁community ▁continued ▁to ▁th rive ▁or ▁suffer ▁depending ▁on ▁conditions . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁a ▁significant ▁infl ux ▁of ▁Jews ▁from ▁the ▁T ad la ▁region ▁and ▁from ▁the ▁S ous ▁Valley ▁arrived ▁under ▁the ▁reign s ▁of ▁the ▁A la ou ite ▁s ult ans ▁M oul ay ▁R ash id ▁and ▁M oul ay ▁Is ma ' il , ▁respectively . ▁A ▁serious ▁dis aster , ▁however , ▁took ▁place