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Rang

The Blue Pearl

Chefchaouen

A mountain town in northern Morocco whose lanes, steps and doors are washed in many shades of blue.

Chefchaouen
Photo: Ismailbrk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why Chefchaouen is chaouen blue

Chefchaouen was founded in 1471 in the Rif mountains of northern Morocco. Its old town, the medina, is painted blue: walls, steps, doorways and flowerpots, from pale powder blue to a strong cobalt, usually over a white base. Nobody is sure why. One account credits Jewish families who settled here, either after leaving Spain in the 15th century or in the 1930s, and for whom blue recalled the sky and heaven. Others say blue keeps mosquitoes away or keeps houses cool. Older photographs suggest the all-over blue is fairly recent. Whatever the cause, residents repaint each spring, and the colour now draws visitors from around the world.

Chaouen blue#4A7FD1Powder blue#A9C9EELimewash white#F2F2EERif green#5F7F4ATerracotta pot#B5623A

Values are fair approximations of what the eye sees there, not measurements.

Colours tied to Chefchaouen

BlueA primary colour seen in the sky and sea, used since ancient times in art and dye
About this page

Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "Chefchaouen" on Wikipedia. If you know Chefchaouen and we have it wrong, tell us.

More colour cities

All colour cities
🇲🇦 The Red CityMarrakechWalls of red earth ring the old city, and building rules keep new streets in the same warm pink-red.🇲🇦 Dye vats and Fez blueFezA medieval city with open-air leather dye pits like a paintbox, and pottery painted in cobalt blue.🇲🇦 The red earth fortress villageAït BenhaddouA fortified village of red-brown earth climbing a hill on the old caravan road south of the Atlas.🇲🇦 White walls, painted muralsAsilahA whitewashed Atlantic town where artists paint new murals on the medina walls each summer.🇲🇦 Blue boats and white wallsEssaouiraA windy Atlantic port of white houses with blue shutters, and a harbour packed with blue fishing boats.🇮🇳 The Blue CityJodhpurOld-city houses washed in blue crowd the foot of Mehrangarh Fort, on the edge of the Thar Desert.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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