03Cities and regions

The Rif Mountains

Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen is a small town in the Rif Mountains of north-west Morocco, home to about 46,000 people at roughly 600 metres, in the foothills of Jebel el-Kelaa. Its walls washed in shades of blue and white have made it known as the Blue City. It began in 1471 as a small kasbah built by Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami, and grew into a town as settlers from al-Andalus arrived with their own way of building: brick archways, narrow lanes and an old water network. At the heart of the medina lies Outa el Hammam square, surrounded by the town's main buildings: the kasbah with its red walls and ten rammed-earth towers, the Great Mosque, and cafés. South-west of the kasbah is Souika, one of the oldest neighbourhoods. The climate is Mediterranean, with rainy winters and summers milder than inland. Spend a day wandering without a plan among the stairs and blue doors, and start in the morning, before the lanes fill up with visitors.

1471

Founded

0 m

Elevation

About 46,000

Population