Chefchaouen

A mountain town whose lanes and houses are washed in shades of blue, known as the Blue Pearl.

The city was founded in 1471 as a small fortress, called a kasbah, built to defend the area against Portuguese attacks. Its name comes from Arabic and Berber words meaning "look at the horns", which describes the two mountain peaks above the town.

History

The fortress was built by Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami. As the Reconquista pushed Muslims and Jews out of Spain and Portugal, many refugees settled here, and they built quarters on the mountain slopes in the style of Granada. In a few decades the fortress grew into a prosperous city with walls, about ten gates and a Great Mosque.

Spanish troops took the city in 1920, and in the 1920s it was briefly part of the Republic of the Rif, led by Abd el-Krim. Spain returned the area to Morocco in 1956.

Why is it blue?

Nobody is certain why the walls are blue. One popular idea is that the colour keeps mosquitoes away. Another says the blue stands for the sky and heaven and reminds people to live a spiritual life.

Whatever the reason, the old town, or medina, is full of white and blue houses with narrow lanes, and visitors come mostly to wander through them.

Life in the old town

Traditional houses were made of stone, brick, tile, wood, soil and lime. Each has an open courtyard in the middle with corridors and bedrooms around it. The courtyards are often planted with oranges, lemons, grapes and sweet-smelling shrubs such as jasmine.

The city is influenced by Andalusian architecture, such as curved brick archways. It has also long traded with nearby mountain peoples of the Jbala region.

On the globe

The model shows a hillside town of blue-washed houses and narrow lanes; look for the cluster of blue buildings.