Chefchaouen
شفشاون | |
|---|---|
.jpg)  _(4).jpg) .jpg) Clockwise from top: Overall view of the city; Ras al Ma' stream; Uta Hammam Square and the Kasbah; one of the blue-painted streets in the medina | |
 Seal | |
| Nicknames: The Blue Pearl (الجوهرة الزرقاء) | |
  Chefchaouen Location of Chefchaouen in Morocco  Chefchaouen Chefchaouen (Africa) | |
| Coordinates: 35°10′17″N 5°16′11″W / 35.17139°N 5.26972°W | |
| Country | Morocco |
| Province | Chefchaouen |
| Region | Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima |
| Founded | 1471 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Mhamed Haddan |
| • Mayor | Mohamed Said al-Alami |
| Elevation | 564 m (1,850 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 42,786 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
Chefchaouen (Arabic: شفشاون, romanized: Shafshāwan, IPA: [ʃafˈʃaːwan]) is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blue City".[1] It is situated in a mountainous region in northern Morocco, between Tétouan and Ouazzane.[2]
It was founded in 1471 by the Arab Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami, a distant descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. The original settlement consisted of just a small fortress, now referred to as Chefchaouen’s kasbah. The fortress was erected to help defend the area from potential attacks by Portuguese invaders; at the time, Portugal was launching attacks against northern cities and towns in Morocco.[3]
- ^ Peters, Lucas (2019-12-24). Moon Morocco. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64049-134-2.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Story Behind The Many Shades Of Morocco's Blue City". Culture Trip. 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-14.