Day 38: Exploring Chefchaouen

March 25, 2023

Why is the city Blue?

"Welcome, what do you think of our city?" the man asks and Patrick answers, "it's very blue."

"Yes, yes, come see the Berber shop, open only today," and Patrick says "Non Merci." As we walk away we both remember our first few days in Morocco and falling for that in Casablanca. We keep wandering, eventually ending up back at this junction. As we walk down the alley, there is one textile shop open.

Before setting off to walk to the Spanish Mosque we have breakfast in our guesthouse.

We are very happy that we saved the Blue City for last. The medina itself is less hectic than Fez or Marrakesh, though this could partially be because of Ramadan. Just wandering around the alleys and seeing all shades of blue is calming. "I'll probably take 500 pictures today," Patrick says as we start an early morning walk to the Spanish Mosque for views of the city.

Why is Chefchaouen Blue? There are several theories and probably a little bit of true from each of them. Chefchaouen, or Chaouen, was built in the 15th century (early 1400s), but it wasn’t until the 1900s that it was painted blue.

Some believe the practice was introduced during a time Morocco saw a large influx of Jews as the Second World War started. For the Jews, the color blue represents the sky, which reminded people of heaven and God. There is a strong tradition among Jewish communities of painting things blue. Older people in Chefchaouen remember the walls being painted white except in the Mellah, the Jewish part of the city.

To keep mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes live near water but not water itself, and the blue walls would look like water. Perhaps it was noticed that there were less mosquitoes in the Mellah, and they decided to follow suit.

Some believe the blue keeps their homes cooler. This supports more the reason the blue is continued to be used. Or it could be a simple way to attract tourists. However it came to be, there is no doubt the city is very picturesque.

We will have 3 cycling days to Tanger Med and we will leave Morocco on the ferry to Barcelona.

Now a selection of pictures: