Chefchaouen is unlike most other places we have been. With a sordid, almost secret history, it’s a walled Moroccan city founded in 1471. A refuge and haven for Jews and Muslims during the Spanish Inquisition, Chefchaouen banned Christians (punishable by death) until the 1920s when it was temporarily captured by Spain. Today it is probably most known by its nickname, the “Blue City.” Wandering the streets, we clearly see where the name was derived.
It’s so beautiful that I can clearly see why this is a classic, over photographed spot.
It was still early when I captured this shot of the main square in Chefchaouen. Later in the day all the cafe’s will be open, chairs and tables will be out, and there will still be cats everywhere.
The satellite dish on the side of one of the old homes highlights the contrast of new versus old.
As non-Muslims, we were not permitted to enter the Grand Mosque of Chefchaouen. Its octagonal minaret is somewhat unique.
These stairs lead to Riad Dar Lbakal, where we stayed. If you look closely, you can see our girls standing at the rail on the patio just above the top of the stairs.
The women wash laundry in the local stream. Set up along the waterway is this workstation where they do the scrubbing.
Paint pigment for sale in Chefchaouen: blue for the exterior, colours for the interior.
Working donkeys are a common site on Moroccan streets
You can see the Chefchaouen’s city wall as it runs up through the Rif Mountains.
Another mosque at the end of a narrow street.
And a few more photos of the blue city:
Practical Information:
- Located in the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen is about 125 km south-west of Tangier and 200km north of Fes. I don’t remember why we opted to get a driver and guide rather than hiring a car like we did in the Atas Mountains. If we were to return, I am sure we would visit on our own.
- Chefchaouen is located in the only region of Morocco to have had malaria, although they say it is not a problem today. According to our guide (but I have not been able to verify this anywhere else), the Jewish people first painted it blue with the founding of Israel, and soon all the local Chefchaouen people discovered that blue kept the mosquitoes at bay.
- The region is also quite popular amongst the tourist sector seeking drugs. The Marijuana plantations in the surrounding hills drive this reputation. Unlike in Oregon where we went into a legal Marijuana dispensary, in Morocco, we steered clear.
- Other fascinating things we did in Morocco included watching a Sahara sunset, visiting a Bedouin Camp, cooking with a Berber family, exploring ancient Roman ruins and seeing wild monkeys and a waterfall.
We spent a bit over a month in Morocco in 2012 and shared only a small portion of our photos at that time. Now that I have moved 40k photos to Lightroom, I have rediscovered so many wonderful memories.
Have you been to Chefchaouen? What do you think of this “Blue City”?
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So blue and beautiful.. I love the paint pigment display.. So colorful..
I don’t know why the bright colors of the paint pigment surprised me so much. I really like them as well.
Wow! What a beautiful blue town! Great place to visit
The blue is really relaxing. It was a comfortable place to be.
Wow! what a beautiful place love all the blue and I like your descriptions
Have a moroccontastic day 🙂
Thanks Steve. It’s a really interesting city.
Its a beautiful photo journey along the streets of Morocco.These blue structures are really attractive!
Chefchaouen is not like other cities in Morocco, although we did find one blue street in Rabat.
Blue is my favorite color and I love the color of the buildings – it makes me happy!
This is a perfect city for you!
Stunning blues – my favourite colour too. But I love the shot with the bags of paint. A great catch. Thanks for sharing your travels with this stay-at-home.
I loved the moment I turned the corner and saw the paint pigments.
It’s quite beautiful. Blue keeps mosquitoes away? Good to know. And probably smart to steer clear of the Marijuana plantations.
Honestly, I cannot verify that blue keeps mozzies away, but that is what our guide told us.
What an amazing destination to visit, beautiful pictures!!
Happy Tuesday!
Thanks Karren.
Such a tranquil city. I love all the blue. I would want to buy all that pigment! All of your pictures are amazing!
What would you do with all that paint?
This picture makes me blue. Get it? Sorry about that. I just felt so blue I had to say it. Oh my goodness I did it again. Sorry about that. One thing that bothers me is you weren’t allowed to enter the Grand Mosque of Chefchaouen because you weren’t a Muslim yet if a Muslim were to go into a Catholic church were would be allowed. I don’t get it?
Have a brilliant blue Tuesday Rhonda. See ya.
Cruisin Paul
LOL – you are too funny to be blue 🙂 As for the mosque, that is how it is in most places around the world. A mosque isn’t a tourist attraction, but rather a place of worship. There are a few we can go into, and we have been in mosques in Muskat, Abu Dhabi, and Istanbul.
Your pictures are gorgeous. My mother would have loved that city as blue was her favorite color. Everything in her house had some blue in it….too much for my taste but oh how I miss her and wish she and her “blues” were still here. Great photos!
Teresa from NanaHood
Thanks Teresa. I am sorry about your loss. Hope the pictures brought back happy memories.
…such wonderful blue…and other colors. Beautiful sights.
Thanks Tom.
I love, love, love all the color. Breathtaking. You’re photography rocks too.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Thanks Sandee. Glad to virtually bring you to somewhere I know you will never travel to.
Wow wow wow!
It is an amazing city.
As always GREAT photos! You captured very well the Medina
When I saw a picture of Chefchaouen for the first time I knew I had to go there, you fall in love in every picture, every corner is beautiful and there is a paradise to do photos, I really loved it and you have seen it on my posts.
Have a great week dear xxx
I leave you my post of Chefchaouen here:
http://www.travelera.es/2016/11/azul.html
You and I are exactly the same. Every corner is magical. I just loved this city.
What a stunning city … it will definitely be in my plans if I make it to Morocco this year!
It’s quite a bit off the beaten path, and the train doesn’t go there, but it is worth the extra effort.
Wow, very beautiful photos. You go to the coolest places.
Thanks Patrick, we try 🙂
What beautiful pics. I’d never heard of this place. It’s stunning.
The train runs from Fes or Tangier to Marrakesh, so the cities along there are most popular in Morocco. This one takes a bit of work to get to.
I cannot wait for my Morocco trip in April. I cannot wait to see this blue town.
I loved our time in Morocco. We spent 32 days, and could have easily spent months more.
Oh, Rhonda, that looks amazing the colours ans the ,ight are magificent… just so lovely my dear. Beautiful:-)
Thanks Eli 🙂
Wonderful photos.
Thanks Joyce
never been there, sigh but would love to.
I hope you get there someday. It’s a photographer’s paradise.
They picked such a beautiful shade of blue. The whole city’s amazingly clean. Nowhere in Egypt is like that unless it’s a special place for tourists. I love the wall – so medieval! Thanks so much for sharing – this is a very special place.
LOL – as far as we know, this is an actual town, not a tourist site.
I’d love to live in a city that beautiful. Wow. It’s like the sky and the ocean are all around you.
Here’s my Wordless Wednesday!
I was really attracted to the blue as well.
Rhonda, What a fabulous photo journey! I will never see such a place as the Blue City in Morocco. This picturesque city looks like something one might see in a Mission Impossible or other action flicks. I love the beautifully painted buildings. I smiled to see technology touch this old city with the satellite dish on the side of one of the buildings and then I marveled at the women doing laundry at the waterway. I can’t imagine washing clothes like this and am thankful to have a washer and dryer in my home. lol Thanks for sharing these wonderful images with us on WW, my friend. Have a good day!
There is such a feel of tradition when I was there, the idea of an action flick seems completely out of place. But, I can see it now that I look back at the photos.
So many beautiful and colourful captures. I love the architecture here, and the picture with the satellite dish definitely shows the contrast of new and old. The picture with the paint pigments is really nice.
Thanks Jade. Much of Morocco was a mix of the old and new, mostly the old.
It is a beautiful blue city and you have captured it so well ~ what a wonderful journey for you and us to see too ~ thanks,
Wishing you a Happy Week ahead ~ ^_^
Thanks Carol.
Wow! It looks beautiful! I’d love to visit someday! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
It is beautiful. Choosing only these photos was a difficult task.
fascinating colorful city- thanks!
It really is. Thanks Kathe.
The picture of the sack of paint pigment is fabulous and this look like such a beautiful place
mollyxxx
I love the bright pigment colours. There is something quite special about them.
I love the blues! What a beautiful experience and visit!
It is so unique. I imagine I will never forget my time there.
Such a wonderful city! I haven’t got a chance to see this part of Morocco 🙂
This part is a bit more difficult to get to.
The blue city is such a beautiful area. I love the blue buildings and the narrow streets – very quaint.
Agree. Quaint is a good word for Chefchauoen.
I thought it was ice and snow after the first glance on the photo with the blue walls 😀
It would have been some quite spectacular glacier ice to be this white.
Wow. That looks amazing and an interesting place to explore.
It sure is.
Wow that’s cool with the mosquitoes kept at bay with the blue color…will have to try that
I couldn’t find it verified anywhere, so let me know if it works.
So beautiful and blue, what a lovely place to be. I would love to be here now taking a walk around with my camera. Lovely pictures 🙂
LOL – I would love to be there right now too, although, it might be quite cold being winter and in the mountains.
The city is obviously ancient as evidenced by the narrow streets and building architecture. – Margy
I just love everything about it.
I absolutely LOVE the blue! It’s so peaceful, and I think it would make me feel like being in the comfort of water. 😀
I loved it too, peaceful is a good word to describe it.
Ah, this is gorgeous photography, Rhonda. Morocco looks indeed like a “blue city”, I’d love to see it too.
It is only the city of Chefchaouen that is a blue city, although we did see a blue street in Rabat.
Gorgeous place, fantastic shots!
Thanks for likinking up at the Travel Tuesday meme.
It is an easy place to find good shots.
WOW, wow, and wow. We never went to Morocco and I wish we would have just for the color. These images are fabulous Rhonda.
Lisa @ LTTL
It’s not the entire country, but rather only Chefchaouen is blue.
Rhonda, beautiful pics. Btw, when I traveled in israel, I have also noticed blue painted houses in lots of Arab villages and was told that the Arabs believe that the blue color keeps the evil spirits away. Matt
Interesting that we were both told different things as to why they houses are blue.
Beautiful Blue City and Photos! I am sold to Chefchaouen! Blue is the colour of positive energy! yay
Yes, it did have a strong positive energy. Do you think it was the blue?
Lovely photos. We have a blue city in India too! It is in Jodhpur. Blue colour apparently seems to ward off mosquitoes and other insects. It also helps keep the walls of the house cool.
So cool. I had to Google Jodhpur to see all the blue. Thanks for letting me know.
I hear a lot of great things about Chefchaouen. It looks amazing – and I hope I’ll visit it one day!
Morocco is one of my favourite countries I have visited. Each city we went to was unique and special in its own way. Chefchaouen is amazing. I wish we spent more than just one night.