Chefchauouen – Morocco’s blue city
Morocco is one of the destination that we tend to talk about from time to time because of its relative proximity to Europe – which makes it a pretty easy place to get to – and the fact that it is such a different experience from that of the West, it is like visiting a different realm in regards to weather, landscape and culture.
The place that we’ll talk about today – Chefchauouen – is otherworldly in its own right, within that different cultural realm, because of its very distinctive pallete of blue and white buildings which are in striking contrast with the arid setting of the country around it.
Morocco’s blue city has been around since the end of the 15th century, 1471 to be exact when Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami founded the place to serve as a Moorish fortress for exiles from Spain.
In the present day however, Chefchauouen is home to a rich cultural blend of Berber tribespeople, Muslims and Jews as well as the descendants of those earlier mentioned Moorish exiles from Spain. You can easily make out the Berbers because of their distinctive cotton clothing and woven hats decorated with brightly colored threads.
You can find this blue gem in the Rif Mountains and thanks to its location it has lots to offer outdoorsy types and adventurous travelers. April to June is possibly the most popular time of year for trekkers, so make sure you know what you’re going and what you’re going there for.
Chefchauouen is also a special destination for those who like to make their trips intro culinary discovery adventures. The hundreds of spices and herps give birth to a variety of different textures and tantalizing smells in every type of food from bread baked in wood-fired ovens to Maroccan-style meals like the traditional tagine.
This has been just a quick look at Morocco’s blue city, but hopefully it was enough to interest you in further researching the destination and planning a trip there.
In case you do plan on going there don’t forget to employ some Morocco car rental services for when you get there.
