Chefchaouen is known to be one of the most peaceful and safest places in Morocco. Nestled in the Rif Mountains the city attracts all types of travelers. Let us take a look at what it is that attracts everyone to this city.
Brief History of Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami, a distant descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. The original settlement consisted of just a small fortress, now referred to as Chefchaouen’s kasbah. The fortress was erected to help defend the area from potential attacks by Portuguese invaders since at the time, Portugal was launching attacks against northern cities and towns in Morocco.
A settlement eventually grew outside of the fortress with the construction of the medina, a traditional walled area of homes and other buildings. During the Middle Ages, local tribes, Moors from Spain, and Jews populated the area.
Many years later, the Spanish captured Chefchaouen in 1920, forming part of Spain’s territory in Morocco. The area saw a large influx of Jews fleeing from Europe and Hitler during the Second World War. Most Jews later left the area in the late 1940s and early 1950s to live in Israel. The city was given back when Morocco gained independence in 1956., where this was the city as a Castle Mujahideen against colonialism, and in this article we will talk about the city of chefchaouen in detail and ancient.Description of the city of chefchaouen located County chefchaouen in the far North Morocco specifically on the Mountain range countryside, where bounded in from the North Mediterranean along up to about percent of Twenty-km, either in from the South Beech , as for the back-end of East County and the West and all of the regional tetouan belongs this region in terms of administrative to hand Tangier tetouan, as an area of approximately four thousand Fifty-square kilometers.Neighborhoods antique in the city of chefchaouen neighborhood this is the neighborhood's second oldest gathering residential is present in the city after stalk, where the annexation stalk in the beginning approximately of Eighty family Andalusian which provided to the chefchaouen with moulay Ali bin Rashid, has been calledthe neighborhood with this name proportion to the presence of built in the late fifteenth century, it should also be noted that this neighborhood has the most important oldest homes in the city featuring White mixed with Blue Sky, perhaps one of the most important features of theneighborhood is the Fountain Wall, which is located in a paths of the reason that come back to the decoration, which is adorned encountered.Neighborhood Andalusia neighborhood Andalusia is the neighborhood built-in order to accommodate the Regiment the second of immigrants who came to the city in and seven Ninety-Ah, and perhaps the most important characteristic of this neighborhood is a topographic which made the population are building thehouses
Main Attractions in Chefchaouen
Apart from the nearby natural attractions and activities, such as hiking in the mountains and visiting the Cascades of Akchour, one of the main things to do in Chefchaouen is to wander through the city’s medina and admire the picturesque scenes that unfold around each corner and down every staircase. Less frenetic than in other cities in Morocco such as Marrakech and Fes, visitors can pick up an array of traditional-Moroccan goods. Blue and white paintings on different-sized canvases depicting scenes of the city and local life are especially nice keepsakes.
Within the old kasbah itself and its shades of brown, beige, muted red, and ochre, tourists will find the small Ethnographic Museum, sometimes also referred to as the Kasbah Museum. It houses exhibits and displays related to the area’s history, culture, and development.
Do be aware that most explanatory signs are only available in Arabic and French; having a basic knowledge of either would add more depth to a visit.
To Attract Tourists
While this certainly wouldn’t have been the original reason for painting the city, attracting tourists is a major reason why the practice continues. The unusual colour is, after all, the city’s main claim to fame. Chefchaouen was previously an unremarkable destination along the trading route between Fes and Tangier. It is now, however, a fairly popular tourist destination.
Fortification of the Kasbah
Inside the Kasbah, whose walls are topped by reddish crumbled battlements, gardens planted with towering palms, fig trees, rose bushes and flowering shrubs, constitute, outside the main square, an oasis of wellbeing and tranquility.
Ras el Maa
The spring of Ras El Maa, located northeast of the Medina, supplies fresh and pure water to the whole city. However, several houses in the Medina are not connected to the water network and must get their water at one of the many fountains nestled here and there in the small streets and squares of the Medina. This “singing” presence of water fills the city with a bewitching and appeasing atmosphere.
Medina of Chefchaouen
The Medina of Chefchaouen is one of the most picturesque in Morocco. It is clearly marked by the imprint of Andalusia. On the houses walls, whitewashed to a man’s height in very light tones, white, blue and purple blend harmoniously which gives to the town a curious bluish reflection.
Eat, drink and sleep
The local specialty is the baissara. You would also like the staple tajines (vegetable stew with goat and sheep) and fish tagras. You can visity Granada or Chez Chouen that offer you great fish and shrimp tajine which have a Spanish flavor more than the Moroccan one, but are really great. You would also find mint tea everywhere and it can be really nice.
Alcohol though is not readily available. For accommodation there are many options and the biggest rush is during the months of July and September. There are cheap hotels also available and you can even find it interesting to use some hotels offering roof terraces (which are popular with backpackers
