Chefchaouen | the blue paradise with seven doors

Where the name of Chefchaouen came from?

It's said that Chefchaouen is a name formed on two parts: "chouf" which means "look" and "chaouen" which means in Berber "horns"
with reference, probably, to the mountain peaks which enclose the blue pearl.

A photographers paradise,why?

the city with all blue streets, painted with a magical color, offers a friendly and authentic atmospher to anyone who would be lulled by its soothing atmosphere and its beauty which make the place a real visual masterpiece and a paradise to the professional photographers.

Creation of Chefchaouen by Ali Ben Rachid

It was established in 1471 among Tétouan and Fez by Moulay Ali Ben Rachid, one of the grandsons of the incomparable Sufi expert, Moulay Abdeslam Ben Mchich. It was established in 1415 by Moulay Ali Ben Rachid, one of the grandsons of the incomparable Sufi expert, Moulay Abdeslam Ben Mchich, in the core of the Rif mountains. After Moulay Ali's death in 1480, his cousin Abou Al Hassan Ali Ibn Rachid took over to complete the work. A post, a monstrous mosque, and an imposing bulwark flanked by towers and opened by seven entryways were all important for the city during the time.

The government of Banou Rachid

Between 1471 and 1561, the city is ruled by the Banou Rachid dynasty, descendants of the city's founder and nominal vassals of the wattasside sultans, until the Saadians reunite the city with Morocco.

Defending the conquest

The Kasbah of Chefchaouen was restored by Moulay Ismael at the end of the 17th century to block the invasion and defend the city from the Portuguese, then from the Spaniards who tried to expand following the conquest from Sebta.

The friendship of Muslim Jewish and Christian


The entrance of the Moors and Sephardim banished from Spain fueled the city's growth from the 15th to the 17th centuries. Should we remember that, in Moroccan history, Chefchaouen was one of the privileged locations where Andalusians, Jews, and Muslims who had returned from Spain resided, projecting an Arab-Andalusian civilization on African soil, resulting in a melting pot of many cultures and spirituality? Even today, the Andalusian quarter, where Hispanic, Jewish, and Arab influences coexist, is one of the most densely populated in the medina.