Chefchaouen : The Blue City of Morocco

Chefchaouen is a city in north eastern Morocco, built 600 meters above sea level at the foot of Kelaa and Meggou Mountains, which form the Jebel chaouen on the chain of the Rif. It is the capital of the province of the same name. Its population is 35,709 inhabitants.

 

The city name comes from the Berber Achawen, "horns", because of the mountain peaks that dominate and surround the city. It was founded in the year 876 of the Hegira, 1471 of the Christian era, by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami.

Originally established in 1415, Chefchaouen completed in 1480 by Sherif Ali ibn Rachid Alami, back of a warrior living in the kingdom of Grenade. The city hosts thereafter a population composed mainly of Andalusian Moors and then the Christians remains prohibited under penalty of death. Only the explorer Charles de Foucauld defied the ban in 1883.

Between 1471 and 1561, the city was ruled by the dynasty of Banu Rashid, descendants of its founder, nominally vassals of Wattassides sultans, and will be reunited in Morocco Saadian. In 1920, the Spanish seized Chefchaouen, which will then be bombarded by Franco's troops. The city was not surrendered to Morocco until 1956, following the repeal of the protectorate.

  

On November 20, 2010, with three other Mediterranean communities which Soria in Spain, Koroni in Greece, Cilento in Italy, the city of Chefchaouen was inscribed on the Representative List of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This inscription was made possible thanks to its iconic food practice of the Mediterranean diet: "It is characterized by a nutritional model remained constant over time and whose main ingredients are olive oil, grains, fruits and fresh or dried vegetables, a limited proportion of fish, dairy and meat, and many condiments and spices. "