Chefchaouen - Gheos Worldguide

Chefchaouen (Shafshāwan, شفشاون)

Chefchaouen, or Shafshāwan (شفشاون), is often referred to as Chaouen, Chechaouen, or Xauen. It's a wonderful city with a refreshing climate in the Rif Mountains of northwestern Morocco.

Chefchaouen was founded by Moulay Ali ben Rachid in 1471, as a base from which the Portuguese at Ceuta were attacked. With the arrival of Muslim refugees from Spain in the early 1600s, the town grew and prospered. The area remained somewhat isolated until the Spanish occupied it in 1920. Nowadays it's a very relaxed place, that can easily be explored on foot.

Points of interest

Chefchouan's historic district is the Medina. It is known for its buildings that are mostly painted in shades of blue. For this reason, the old city is known as the 'blue city'. Originally, the Medina was enclosed by defensive walls, but only a few gates remain. There are many narrow, winding streets in the Medina, but because it is quite small you won't get lost.
- The main square at the heart of the Medina is called Place Outa Hammam (Uta Hammam Square). A market is held there on Mondays and Thursdays and it is lined by some of the city's most important buildings, including the ruined Kasbah, the Great Mosque and a caravanserai. There are also numerous small shops and cafés. The square was named after the hammam on its northwestern corner.
- Also at the northwestern side of the square is the funduq (caravanserai). It is the largest of Chefchouan's 4 caravanserais. If features a large horseshoe-shaped arch.
- The Kassbah (Citadel) is the oldest part of the Medina. It was originally founded in the 15th century and it consists of a rectangular enclosure protected by rammed-earth (pisé) walls. The Kasbah used to have 2 entrances: one on the main square and one near the Great Mosque. Currently, entrance to the Kasbah is through an opening that was created in the 1930s. The walls originally featured 10 towers. Nowadays the Kasbah is largely in ruins, but if features a 17th-century building that houses a museum, where archaeological objects are on display.
- The Souika neighbourhood is located to the southwest of the Kasbah. It was established in the 15th century as a qaysariyya (market), which gave it its name, meaning 'little souk'. Souika used to be walled off from neighbouring districts and one of the original entrances can still be seen.
- Chefchaouen's Great Mosque is the oldest mosque in the city. It sits at the center of the Medina, not far from the Kasbah, at the Place Outae Hammam.
- There are many traditional fountains in the Medina that used to provide water for its population. Some of the most well-known fountains include the four-sided fountain at the center of the Uta Hammam Square and the Aïn Souika Fountain in the Souika neighborhood.
Ras al-Ma' is Chefchaouen's traditional water source. It sits just outside the former walls of the Medina and it consists of a spring, where wateremerges from the ground. The well is enclosed by a stone structure.
Not far downstream from Ras al-Ma' you can see an old water mill, as well as a 19th-century bridge that connects the two shores.
The Spanish Mosque was built inthe 1920s, but has been abandoned. Its location on a hill overlooking Chafchaouen makes it a popular lookout point.
On Mondays and Thursdays there is a market in Chefchaouen, where all sorts of items are sold. The bus station is immediately next to it.
On the old road to Larache and some 50 km (31 mi) from Chefchaouen, is the Mausoleum of Abdessalam Ben Mshish al-Alami. It houses the tomb of Moulay Abdessalam Ben Mshish al-Alami, who is the patron saint of northern Morocco's Jebalah region.

The camping ground is a 30 minutes walk from the city center. There are many hotels and restaurants in town. Chefchaouen is located in the north of Morocco, 190 km northeast of Rabat.

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