This morning, we will drive to Chefchaouen, known as the blue city. Its houses are walls and streets painted blue with white details. The blue color symbolizes the sky and serves as a reminder to pray. Another reason that is given is that the blue paint repels insects, which is why it is painted. This place is located at the foot of the Rif mountain range and is surrounded by mountains and forests.

Around 1870 the first immigrants began to arrive, who together with those who began to arrive from the rest of Morocco founded the city of Chefchaouen. The influence of the community has been very important in its history. From then until 1920 it was a peaceful city, but thanks to its geographical position it was the object of desire of the governors of the north of Morocco and the south of Spain. This is how in 1920 Chefchaouen became a protectorate. In 1956, with Moroccan independence, the blue city recovered some of its old luster.

The Medina, although small, is worth getting lost. The main square is called Outa el-Hammam, there we have the Kasbah and the mosque. The Kasbah is an authentic jewel, right in the center of the medina. After visiting the city we will have dinner and spend the night here.

The town is well-known for its blue streets, blue houses, and blue-tiled roofs. Chefchaouen is famous for the production of woolen garments and goat cheese, for the fine quality of its leather, and for its production of woven blankets dyed with vegetable dyes. After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit Chefchaouen. Foundation of Chaouen in 1471 was born with the mission to protect Morocco from the Portuguese. The medina of Chefchaouen is a delight with its blue streets, houses of brown stone walls, and tiled roofs. The small shops of handicrafts do not leave indifferent. The Kasbah is a really original construction with its tower opposite the Mosque and the farallón that rises on the hill. The second impulse of Chaouen was to convert into refuge for those who fled from Andalusia towards Morocco.

The original settlement, containing both a mosque and a kasbah, was established in 1471 and became a clandestine base for Berber bands seeking to expel the Portuguese from nearby coastal towns. It would be a century before any outside rulers gained a foothold, when in 1560 Sultan transformed Chefchaouen into a royal garrison town. Later, expelled moriscos and Berbers sought the protection of the city’s kasbah against the sultan, who was in constant conflict with Moroccan Jewry. For much of the 17th and 18th centuries, Chefchaouen was famous for the quality of the luxury fabrics woven there for export.