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You can discover the stunning Blue City of Chefchaouen among the Rif Mountains in North West Morocco.

Interesting Facts:

-The city was founded in 1471 by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami (super long name!) A small fortress that was built at the time still stands to this day in the city center.

-Many Jews settled here in Medieval times and this may be why the walls ended up blue- Jewish teachings claim that thread should be dyed with tekhelel (an ancient natural blue dye) and weaved into prayer shawls. This blue colour was associated with God would remind people of God’s power. The blue walls are still repainted blue to this day.

-Moroccans will often refer to Chefchaouen and just ‘Chaouen’.

-The region is the Cannabis capital of Morocco and Kief is grown in the countryside around the city.

-The population of Chefchaouen is a mixture of Berber tribespeople, Muslims, Jews and descendants of Moorish exiles from Spain. You can often spot a Berber tribesperson because of their distinctive clothing and sometimes they wear colourful hats.

-There are loads of stray cats- most of which seemed rather healthy- so I was in my element!

 

Before my trip to Morocco I did some research on destinations other than Marrakech that may be worth seeing and I came across Chefchaouen. The pictures online just looked amazing so I decided I had to go! It is also great for those who love trekking and it’s brilliant for shopping too (especially wool and woven items). I would recommend Chefchaouen to anyone visiting Morocco, especially those who want to go somewhere a little more chilled out than hectic Marrakech.

I have included some photos from my trip with my friend, Leah, to inspire you to visit this wonderful city:

 

And there’s more: