Chefchaouen

Chefchaoeun is one of those places that is impossible to not only pronounce but describe the beauty and feeling one experiences upon entering the town.  The history itself is pretty interesting as is the name which derives from the shape of the mountain tops above the town, that look like the two horns (chaoua) of a goat. "Chef Chaouen".

Built high in the Rif Mountains, the city was founded in 1471 as a small fortress for the moorish exiles that were banished from Spain. 

But it’s not its strange name, the beautiful and unique handicrafts sold by local craftsman, or the delicious goat cheese that attracts the majority of tourists to Chefchaouen. It’s the blue-painted houses and buildings of the city, a tradition inherited from the former Jewish inhabitants. In the Bible, Israelites are commanded to dye one of the threads in their tallit (prayer shawl) blue, with tekhelel. This was an old natural dye, processed from a species of shellfish, but in time its production collapsed and the Jewish people eventually forgot how to make it. But, in honor of the sacred commandment, the color blue was still woven into the cloth of their tallit. When they look at the dye, they will think of the blue sky, and the God above them in Heaven.

While the Jewish population of Chefchoauen isn’t as numerous as it one was, practically everyone in the city still follows this old tradition and frequently renew the paint job on their homes.


The region is also very famous for the production of Marijuana (known to locals as kif) which is grown in the mountains by specialist farmers and then sold to the zombie-like creatures that we saw slumped semi-comatose in the armchairs at our hostel. 

Spanish Mosque

A local street artist painting the famous blue buildings.