Chefchaouen is a small town in Morocco with a rich history. Nestled in the Rif mountains, this old town is known for its beautiful surroundings and architecture, but what makes it stand out are the striking and varying shades of blue walls.
Photography: Brian Hammonds
Moulay Ali Ben Moussa founded the town of Chefchaouen in 1471. It began as a small fortress to fight the Portuguese invasions of Morocco. The Ghomara tribes, Moriscos, and Jews settled down in it after the Spanish Reconquista in 1492. Later, in 1920, Spain seized the old town, and it became a part of Spanish Morocco. Then, finally, Morocco declared its independence in 1956, and Chechaouen rejoined it once again.
Photography: Claude Renault
The maze-like sector, called the medina, is similar to others in the area. It has white-washed buildings of Spanish and Moorish architecture. However, the shades of blue are unique to this town. There are different reasons cited for the striking blue walls. Photography: Claude Renault
The Jews

The color blue is representative of the sky according to Jewish belief. Jewish communities, therefore paint things blue and use blue-colored fabrics, especially prayer mats.

People believe that the Jewish refugees spread the blue fever to the entire ‘medina’ in 1930. The practice of painting walls blue was introduced by the Jews to stick to their religious practices. However, older residents say that the majority of the buildings within the medina used to be white until f...