Chavin, also known as the Blue City, is located in the Rif Valley in northern Morocco. It is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Morocco due to its color. Houses, walls, doors, windows, fountains, and even streets are painted blue. Founded in 1471, Chavin has been regarded for centuries as an inviolable and sacred place where foreigners are not allowed.

History of the city of Chavin

The ancient part of the city reflects the typical Andalusian style, which is not surprising as its population originally consisted of exiled Andalusians, Muslims and Jews who came here in search of a safe place to live. Even today, most of the inhabitants of Chavin still speak Spanish. Not on the list of traditional tourist routes until the 1950s, Chefchaven (that is the full name of the city) is today a haven for photographers as well as hash smokers thanks to the cultivation of cannabis, which is legal only in these valleys of Morocco, providing jobs for hundreds of people. The amount of hashish produced in this area corresponds to 40% of the world production - more than 80% of the hemp from Morocco is supplied to Europe. Chavin's farmers are among the earliest producers of this banned substance.

Speculation about the shades of blue used in the color of the old city continues to this day. Some say it is the work of Jewish refugees who associate this tonality with heaven. Others argue that this is just an aesthetic choice and that blue is great for repelling mosquitoes. In any case, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the charming town of Chavin is testament to the confluence of the Andalusian world and the Moroccan world. A true pearl of bluish sheen, meticulously restored and carefully guarded in the Reef mountain range. It is also one of the most beautiful cities in Morocco, rivaling the beauty of other colored cities in the world.

Chavin Old Town

Shopping in this beautiful blue city is one of its biggest attractions. It may not be as varied, or as grandiose, as in big cities like Fez, Marrakech, and Casablanca, but Chavin has a traditional charm. After you've explored the blue labyrinth of streets, consider shopping for traditional souvenirs. Tourists will love the relaxed atmosphere that is hard to find in big cities. Here you can take a leisurely stroll at your leisure and appreciate the local leather goods for which Chefchaven is so famous.

Behind the blue streets of Chavin is a natural landscape that surrounds the city on all sides and makes it even more picturesque. About 30 minutes by taxi from the city center, there is an enticing hiking trail that, after a short walk, leads to the stunning waterfalls. The pristine blue waters match the city's blue theme, and visitors can swim in the rocky pools or admire the majestic streams. In this area, you should definitely visit the famous Bridge of God - a stone arch crossing the river.

In the center of Chavin lies the beautiful Andalusian Gardens, a tranquil green oasis that complements an already serene blue stream. In these gardens, it is worth visiting the Ethnographic Museum, known as the Kasbah Museum, which invites visitors to explore its unrivaled collection of artifacts. They tell you the story of Chavin in a variety of ways, from pottery to musical instruments. Moreover, the museum even has a small art gallery. A visit to the museum will allow you to learn about the history and culture of this beautiful city, appreciate the aesthetics and traditions.

Each city has its own square, and Chefchaven is no exception. In the heart of the old city is Uta el Hammam Square, famous for its atmosphere where Arab and Spanish influences intersect. This can be seen in fantastic cuisine, from street food to restaurants. The central point of Chavin is great for relaxing and contemplating the majestic mountains. Here you can also observe people in the heart of the city's activity.

| Chaven (Chefchaouen) - the blue city in Morocco

Chaven (Chefchaouen) - the blue city in Morocco

Chaouen (Chaouen, Chefchaouen) is a town located at the foot of the Rif Mountains in northwestern Morocco. The heavenly tones of the streets in this Moroccan city seem like a dreamlike setting. The uphill medina's color palette is replete with piercing shades of blues, blues and azure colors. The city, where the walls of buildings, window frames, wooden doors of houses, steps and even flower pots are filled with blue, is one of the largest tourist centers in northern Morocco. Saturated shades of azure blue, turning into blues and purples, are renewed several times a year. The residents of Chavin re-paint the buildings before major holidays and festivals that take place in the city several times a year.

Chavin, founded in 1471 as a fortress to defend against Portuguese invaders, owes this color scheme to the local Jewish community. The city became one of the largest sanctuaries for Jews expelled from Spain during the Reconquista. According to the biblical covenants, the blue and blue shades of houses should symbolize the prayer veil tallit (talis) and remind of God. The Jewish population of Chavin has declined significantly since the 15th century, but the locals retained the tradition of painting buildings in heavenly tones.

Until 1920, only three Europeans visited Chaven. And this with all the proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal. The first was the famous French explorer of Africa and missionary Charles Eugene de Foucauld (1858-1916), who appeared in Chavin in 1883 for just one hour, dressed as a rabbi. The second was Walter Harris, a correspondent for The Times in London, who traveled through Morocco in the late 1880s. He entered the city under the guise of a Moorish merchant and lived there for a while as a vagabond. The third was the least fortunate. It was the American missionary William Summers, who was poisoned during his visit to Chavin in 1892. So why did Chavin remain closed to foreigners for a long time? Why were the daredevils who dared to visit it were forced to disguise themselves in order to save their lives?

Shaven was founded in 1471 by Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami. The main task of the city at that time was to protect against the invasions of the Portuguese, who settled in the north of the country, in Ceuta. As a defensive point, Chavin was ideal: a good location at the foot of high mountains, a strong fortress wall, a river that closes the city on one side - all this significantly impeded any attack. In the Middle Ages, Andalusian Jews and Muslims, expelled from Spain during the Reconquista, flocked to the city. They brought their culture, art and business acumen, ensuring the city's rapid development and prosperity. That is why Charles Eugene Foucault was able to calmly appear in Chavin in the guise of a rabbi. Jewish and Moorish "traces" are still strongly felt in the city.

Many in Chavin make hashish, but the crime rate in the city is low. It is safe to walk through the medieval narrow streets, immersed in blue and greenery, at any time of the day. In 1920, the Spaniards conquered Chavin for the first time, but the local population, mostly rebellious and overly proud Berbers who call themselves "free people", fiercely resisted. The hatred for foreign invaders and in general for European influence, fostered for centuries, resulted in a long confrontation. There was no way the Spaniards could take control of the Reef area. However, in 1926, they still succeeded, however, with the help of the French. Chavin belonged to the Spanish crown until 1956, when Morocco gained independence.

Today, this “fanatical Berber city,” as Walter Harris called it, is open to everyone. The hostility towards foreigners, quite understandable by history, is receding, and the Western influence very slowly but surely penetrates the narrow streets of Medina, into cozy shops and restaurants. And if earlier Berber children, seeing a person with a European appearance, began to throw stones at him, now the Chawenne children do not miss the opportunity, smiling modestly, to reach out to you and beg for money in pure Spanish. And yet in Chavin, like nowhere else, the atmosphere of the "real" Middle Ages reigns. Tourists are treated here with interest and curiosity, but there are so few of them here compared to the famous Fez, Marrakech and Rabat that they simply cannot significantly affect the life of this strange city frozen in time.

Chavin landmarks

Chavin is often said to be one of the most beautiful cities in Morocco. And all because of the piercing blue of the Old City. You find yourself on the streets of the local Medina climbing the mountain, and you do not believe that this is a real city in which ordinary people live. Tidy Andalusian-style white houses with bright blue doors, blue shutters and window frames, blue flower pots and even blue painted paths look like a fairy tale. Sometimes it seems that houses simply "flow" into stairs and sidewalks, and the streets look like a multi-level labyrinth of frozen blue glaze. For all major holidays, Medina is repainted again, so this heavenly blue is always preserved here in all its manifestations - from light blue to deep purple. And regardless of the weather, even if dark clouds are gathering in the sky, Chavin always looks bright and cheerful.

Kasbah (from the Arabic "city") - a house-fortress or quarter-fortress. In North Africa, this word denotes a citadel in a system of city fortifications. The Kasbah tower offers a picturesque view of the city. In addition to the fact that the Medina in Chaven, unlike other Moroccan cities, is incredibly clean (Chavin received a national award for sanitary conditions), it is also "live", that is, it is primarily a residential area, and only then a market and a gathering trade shops. However, if we talk about trade, then Chavin has something to boast about. And most importantly, these are woolen products (carpets, clothes, etc.), with bright colors and patterns reminiscent of Peruvian and Mexican motifs, which you will not find anywhere else in Morocco. As is customary in the country, you can observe the work of many artisans by visiting their workshops. On some streets there is a pleasant smell of wood - furniture is made here, on others you can hear the clinking - here they minted dishes, on the third quietly rustling old looms. At the same time, buying anything in Chavin is always a calmer and more relaxed event than, for example, hectic and often too intrusive shopping in Fez.

All the main attractions of Chavin, all its visible tourist life is concentrated in the central square of the Old Town (Uta el-Hammam). The main trump card of cafes and restaurants that have filled the square is the presence of an open terrace on the top floor with a view of the city, mountains and the lively square with an old casbah (fortress). This red sandstone fortress was built by the Portuguese defeated in 1578 at the battle of El-Ksar-el-Kebir (Alcazarquivir) and taken prisoner. They were forced to build dungeons for themselves, where they spent the last days of their lives. In 1926, a local hero, the main leader of the uprising of the peoples of the Rif against the Spanish conquerors, Abdu-l-Karim, nicknamed the "Wolf of the Reef", was imprisoned in the fortress. True, some consider this unconfirmed fact to be just a legend, assuring that Abdul-l-Karim has never been to Chavin.

Outside the walls of the Kasbah there is a small but lush garden and a small ethnographic museum of Chavin. And very close to the fortress there is a very beautiful and rather unusual Main Mosque with an octagonal minaret. The mosque, built by the son of the founder of Shaven, Sidi Mohamed Alami, has always played a prominent role in the political and spiritual life of the city. The building itself, whitewashed with lime, blends well with the white and blue houses that surround the square, while the blood-red brick minaret looks good next to the ocher ruins of the Kasbah.

Ras al-Ma is located in the north of the old city. This water source is vital for the townspeople. The kids play cheerfully both in the square and in the narrow streets of Medina, and even play the ball right in a small cemetery located near the fortress wall in the very upper part of the city. Berber children do not have trendy European rollerblades, bicycles and skateboards. They have only mountains and stones at their disposal, but using these improvised means, they have learned to have fun. Kids climb a steep dirt road uphill, lay a flat stone on the dusty ground, sit on it like a sled, and roll down with joyful shouts.

Neighborhood Chavin

The dazzling blue and white city lies in a green valley surrounded on all sides by imposing mountain peaks. One glance at Chavin from the outside is already enough to fall in love with this picture once and for all. The mountains of the Reef, in some places black, in some places red, are covered with either coniferous forests, or undersized shrubs and yellow flowers, indented by picturesque reddish gorges. Valleys with olive and date groves, tobacco plantations and cactus thickets. Little whitewashed houses scattered over the hills here and there. A piercing blue sky. And this whole picture is filled with bright sunlight and some incredible space. Two majestic twin mountains (Meggu, 1615 m, and Tisuca, 2050 m), at the foot of which Chaven lies, resembled goat horns in their outlines to the first settlers, therefore the city was nicknamed Chaouen, which, in fact, means "Horns" or "Horns". Later the name was slightly changed. Chaven turned into Chefchaouan (or Chefchaouen; Chefchaouen), which is translated from the local dialect as "View of the Horns". Today both names are actively used in Morocco, and in Russia the city is called Chavin.

Anyone who comes to Chavin must go to the mountains to admire the picturesque views of the surrounding area. The walk usually starts north of Medina - from the famous Ras al-Ma spring, which feeds the entire city with fresh water. Crystal clear, icy water cascades down from the mountains in a cascade of small waterfalls. There is also an impromptu laundry room, where women, using running water, wash clothes and even carpets. Tourist routes to the mountains begin from the source. The winding paths wind between village houses, gardens, plowed fields, gradually rising higher and higher. Along the way, one comes across loaded donkeys, accompanied by Berbers, similar to medieval wizards, in caftans with long pointed hoods, or herds of goats, dexterously climbing the mountain over the stones.

One of the hiking trails leads to a small hill with the remains of an old, ruined mosque. These ruins are a kind of reason for Berber pride. The mosque was built by the Spaniards as a sign of their tolerance for local customs, but the building was destroyed by a lightning strike.

This hill offers one of the best views of Chavin: the city, the mountains, and the valley - everything is in full view. It is especially good here to listen to how far below, alternately in several city mosques, the muezzins begin to read evening prayers. The sounds of their mesmerizing voices are repeatedly reflected from the mountains, creating a "song" of incredible beauty and harmony. And something inside you shrinks when you hear these amazing sounds, you see the crimson sunset sky hanging over the dark tops of the mountains, you watch the lights begin to light up slowly in the city, slowly sinking in the twilight. Still, Chavin is special. It is so strikingly different from any other city in Morocco that it seems that this is not Morocco at all. And at the same time, it is here, in Chavin, that the present, the true, that many are striving to find in this mysterious land of the setting sun, have been preserved.

The best time to visit Chavin is in April and May when it is especially picturesque. Flowers bloom throughout the city, the various shades of which are incredibly vividly contrasting with the blue, azure and blue walls of the houses.

How to get to Chavin

The closest major transport center to Chavin - the city of Tangier - is located 85 kilometers to the northwest. You can also get to the "blue city" from Fez, Meknes, Casablanca, Rabat and other major tourist centers in Morocco.

The bus service is carried out by the transport company CTM, whose flights connect Chavin with Fez and Meknes (travel time - four hours; ticket price - 70 MAD (~ $ 8.6)), Casablanca (travel time - five and a half hours; bus leaves daily at 13:15; ticket price - 120 MAD (~ $ 14.8)), Rabatom (travel time - four hours; bus leaves daily at 14:45; ticket price - 90 MAD (~ $ 11.1)). From Tangier, you can get there with a transfer in Tetouan (total travel time is a couple of hours; tickets cost about 45 MAD (~ $ 5.5)).

There are no direct bus routes connecting Chavin to Agadir and Marrakech. The best way to get there is Casablanca with a stopover. Tickets can be purchased in advance at stations or on the CTM website. The Chavin bus station is located a short distance from the medina, at the bottom of the slope.

I found out about this place in 2012, preparing for our first trip to Morocco. I remember well how when I saw photos of bright blue tones on the Internet, the first thing I thought about was a technical marriage and color imbalance. They looked too unusual. However, having visited the blue city twice, I was convinced that this amazing place exists in reality ...
morocco, chefchaouen, chefchaouen, blue city in morocco, photo tour in morocco, tour in morocco, blue city of chefchaouen
So, Chefchaouen is a famous blue city located among the gentle slopes of the Reef Mountains in the north of Morocco.

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-85119200-1422306343.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-75806300-1422306363.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

The city is primarily known for its historical part - the medina, where the walls of houses, painted with rich cold shades of blue, harmoniously combine with the warm orange tones of roofs, stairs and other decorative elements. Here you can wander for hours, enjoying the color palette and measured atmosphere ...

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-72845700-1422306424.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-30045900-1422306450.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

The history of the city begins in 1471, when the Emir Moula Ali-ben-Moussa-bin-Rashid-al-Alami founded the first mosque and a powerful fortress on the site of a small Berber village to protect against the Portuguese invaders, who were then entrenched in the north of the country in the city of Ceut.

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-79182700-1422306512.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-12677000-1422306605.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

But the city owes its unique appearance to the Andalusian Jews who settled in Chefchaouen after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. According to the biblical covenants, blue and blue shades should symbolize the prayer veil talit (thales) and remind of God.

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-42894200-1422306691.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-87344200-1422306690.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

Today there are no Jews left here, but local residents continue the established tradition and regularly renew the walls with fresh paint, because this serves as a powerful impetus to attract tourists.

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-58509000-1422306750.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-06270300-1422306751.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

An interesting fact is that for a long time the city was declared a sacred place and visiting it to the Gentiles was prohibited on pain of death.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, only three Europeans visited Chefchaouen. And this despite its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal!
The first was the famous French explorer of Africa and missionary Charles Eugene de Foucauld (1858-1916), who arrived in Chefchaouen in 1883 for only one hour and disguised as a rabbi. The second was the London Times correspondent Walter Harris, who traveled through Morocco in the late 1880s. He entered the city under the guise of a Moorish merchant and lived there for a while as a vagabond. The third was the least fortunate. It was the American missionary William Summers, who was poisoned during his visit to the city in 1892.
And only after the Franco-Spanish agreement of November 27, 1912, Spanish troops entered Chefchaouen, thus opening it to the outside world.

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-83480800-1422307727.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-30727400-1422307728.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

As you know, where there are tourists, trade is always in full swing. Chefchaouen is no exception. Everywhere in the medina, you can find various souvenirs and woolen products (carpets, clothes, etc.) of bright colors and patterns on the open sale.

[|| slider ||] a: 6: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-33799600-1422306940.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-24893600-1422306941.jpg"; i: 2; s: 81: "http: / /forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-25595600-1422306939.jpg";i:3;s:81:"http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015 /post-1-0-72583200-1422306941.jpg";i:4;s:81:"http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-65894800-1422308591.jpg "; i: 5; s: 81:" http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-00922000-1422309153.jpg ";) [|| / slider ||]

Kote ... as in all of Morocco, there are a lot of stray cats living here.

And a heavy rock fan probably lives in this courtyard :)

Unlike other Moroccan cities, Chefchaouen's medina is quite clean (the city even received a national sanitation award). In addition, it is also inhabited, that is, it is primarily a residential area.

[|| slider ||] a: 4: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-04893500-1422308247.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-52289600-1422308247.jpg"; i: 2; s: 81: "http: / /forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-01641000-1422308248.jpg";i:3;s:73:"http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/gallery /album_86/gallery_1_86_145308.jpg ";) [|| / slider ||]

There are a lot of kids in the medina, who hurry to school in the morning with large backpacks, and in the afternoon they rush around the narrow streets playing games with noise.

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-38348600-1422308937.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-03443700-1422308938.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

On the old walls of the medina, you can see a completely modern telephone set.

Low crossing between streets.

In addition to the blue variegated flowers, warm shades of the walls can also be found in the medina.

[|| slider ||] a: 2: (i: 0; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-07491200-1422309485.jpg"; i: 1; s: 81: "http://forum.mb-world.ru/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-1-0-53112000-1422309485.jpg";) [|| / slider ||]

Chefchaouen is called the capital of Moroccan hashish, thanks to the many cannabis plantations in the area.
It is easy to be convinced of this statement: walking along the narrow blue streets of the medina, a seller of souvenirs or cakes will come up to you more than once and in a quiet whisper will offer "ha-shiish"
And having felt the specific aroma of "grass" hovering everywhere in the air, you believe that the product is real.

And at the end of the acquaintance with this fabulous city, its panorama at sunset ...

The heavenly tones of the streets in the Moroccan city of Chauvin (Chevshaven, Chaouen, Chefchaouen) seem like a fabulous scenery. The uphill medina's color palette is replete with piercing shades of blues, blues and azure colors. The city, where the walls of buildings, window frames, wooden doors of houses, steps and even flower pots are filled with blue, is one of the largest tourist centers in northern Morocco. Saturated shades of azure blue, turning into blues and purples, are renewed several times a year. The residents of Chavin re-paint the buildings before major holidays and festivals that take place in the city several times a year.

Chavin, founded in 1471 as a fortress to defend against Portuguese invaders, owes this color uniformity to the local Jewish community. The city became one of the largest sanctuaries for Jews expelled from Spain during the Reconquista. According to the biblical covenants, the blue and blue shades of houses should symbolize the prayer veil tallit (talis) and remind of God. The Jewish population of Chavin has declined significantly since the 15th century, but the locals retained the tradition of painting buildings in heavenly tones.

You can stay in Chavin for a few days. In addition to walking around the medina and visiting the city museum, it is worth taking time to travel along the mountain range of Rif (Ter Rif) encircling the city. The old part of the "blue city" is quite small - and you can walk along the narrow streets without a guide, but it is better to go on an excursion to the mountains with one of the local guides. A walk around the area traditionally begins north of the medina - from the famous Ras al-Ma spring, which feeds the entire city with fresh water.

In April and May, Chavin is especially picturesque. Flowers bloom throughout the city, the various shades of which are incredibly vividly contrasting with the blue, azure and blue walls of the houses.

How to get there

The bus service is carried out by the transport company CTM, whose flights connect Chavin with Fez and Meknes (travel time - four hours; ticket price - 70 MAD (~ $ 7.0)), Casablanca (travel time - five and a half hours; bus leaves daily at 13:15; ticket price - 120 MAD (~ $ 12.0)), Rabatom (travel time - four hours; bus leaves daily at 14:45; ticket price - 90 MAD (~ $ 9.0)). From Tangier, you can get there with a transfer in Tetouan (total travel time is a couple of hours; tickets cost about 45 MAD (~ $ 4.5)).

Location

Chaven lies at the foot of the Rif mountain range, in the northwest.

Photographer Anastasia Kolesnikova told PRTBRT about her two-week trip to Morocco.

We all love to travel and often start with well-trodden popular routes. But is everyone ready to go to a country far from the usual tourist attractions? Giant canyons, hot endless Sahara, blue city of incredible beauty, waterfalls, snowy Atlas Mountains, wild and welcoming Oasis and much more! All this is Morocco.

Route

Casablanca - Chefchaouen - Fez - Rashidia - Merzouga - Ouarzazate - Marrakech - Sidi Ifni (Legzira) - Essaouira - Casablanca. It all took 16 days.

Visa: You can stay in Morocco without a visa for up to 90 days.
Flight: Direct flights are operated by Royal Air Maroc, but with a transfer it will be much cheaper.
Accommodation: Often, when people hear “traveling all over Morocco,” they ask themselves: how is this possible? how did you find the right accommodation? For some reason, most people imagine this country as an undeveloped Arab hole. In reality, the opposite is true.

The Kingdom of Morocco is very well prepared for travelers and is always happy to host them anywhere in the country. We searched for accommodation through Booking, Airbnb and locally. All options turned out to be very good and profitable. It is quite difficult to choose something special, because each city had its own flavor. We wanted to stay in traditional places where everything is imbued with the spirit of an African country. No five-star hotels filled with monotonous boring furniture and perfect service.

Car rent: We rented the car directly at Casablanca airport. Our requirements were modest: good driving, roomy luggage, GPS, music and low fuel consumption. It turned out to be difficult to withstand the first Moroccan bargaining: we spent a whole hour in the closet! From 30 thousand rubles (about 5700 dirhams) they bargained for 20 thousand plus 6 thousand rubles for the navigator. GPS with a flooded map of the country is an absolute must here, especially in cities. Even the best paper maps of Morocco do not shine with details - it costs nothing to get lost in the center. And it is not customary to write the names of the streets here. ( If you do not want to spend money on a navigator, then download the Maps.me application in advance. - Approx. ed.)

National cuisine: The main national dish is tajin. This word means both the dish and the dish prepared in it. What is Tagine? Clay pot with high conical lid. It is very airtight, due to this, steam does not escape during cooking, and the aroma is not even felt. Therefore, the taste is rich and bright. Tazhin can be of three types: chicken, fish and lamb meat. Mandatory table is served with olives (sometimes several types) and bread. The set lunch also includes soup, vegetable salad, dessert and drinks (both hot and cold).
Couscous is considered a famous dish of Moroccan cuisine; it is usually served hot at the end of the meal. It is made with cereals and olive oil, the ingredients are stewed in a thick-walled cauldron with vegetables, raisins and lentils. Couscous is served with fragrant ksra tortillas. Drinks - aromatic green tea with fresh mint.

Casablanca

The main attraction of Casablanca is the Hassan II Mosque. The building stands on a ledge that is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest mosque in the country and the seventh largest in the world. With a minaret 210 meters high, it is the tallest religious building in the world. A laser is installed at the top of the minaret, the light from which is directed to Mecca.
Our first accommodation in Morocco exceeded all expectations: an Airbnb booking turned into a huge apartment, friendly hosts and a set table with treats. Here we were treated to Moroccan tea. It is drunk from small glass piles. Locals pour it from a high-raised silver teapot.

Chefchaouen

Azure steps, cornflower blue shutters, turquoise flower pots and blue houses - this is all Chefchaouen, the city where the sky settled! You only need to walk around the city on foot, no transport will allow you to feel all the beauty of this place. And the roads are narrow and cobbled here. It is worth starting the walk from the central square of the Old Town, where the main monuments are concentrated. From the café's terraces, you can admire the view of the city, the red sandstone fortress, the mosque with the octagonal minaret, and the panorama of the majestic mountains.

In Chefchaouen we booked a riad - a traditional Moroccan house or palace. Riads usually have a garden patio, from where natural light enters all the rooms of the house. The interior of the blue riad Riad Nerja Chaouen is striking: living rooms with cozy soft sofas and dim lights, soft carpets on the floor, friendly staff, excellent clean rooms. All this pleasure cost us about 6 thousand rubles for two nights from four.
Interesting fact: In the evenings, you will definitely meet locals selling marijuana. Chefchaouen is Morocco's leader in the cultivation of cannabis, which locals call chocolate. It is grown here for industrial purposes, and this does not affect the criminal situation.

Fez

Five to six hours drive - and we find ourselves in the former capital of Morocco, Fez.
Fez is the third largest city in Morocco, declared by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage. It is the embodiment of the country's history and its spiritual and religious capital. There are also world famous dye houses (Moulay Abdellah Quarter). They smell, as they say in all guidebooks, disgusting. But Moroccans immediately give a bunch of mint at the entrance to somehow beat off the smells hovering around you. Enterprising shopkeepers will easily let you in to take a look at the dyehouses from above for free. They expect you to buy something in return.

Fez has a great market (Medina of Fez) with many handicrafts: dishes and carpets. Bargaining is required!

Be careful wandering the streets of Fez. They are full of secret passages that create real labyrinths, from which it will take a long time to get out. Therefore, we recommend finding a Moroccan guide. He will tell you about the city and take you to the right places. You can find it in the city center.

Merzouga and the Sahara Desert

One of the goals of the entire trip is to look at the Sahara Desert, which is a 500-kilometer journey through the Atlas Mountains. The road from Fez to Merzouga is one of the most beautiful and varied I have ever traveled: cedar forests soon gave way to Martian landscapes, red-brown sloppy villages, then snowy mountain ranges, by morning - rocky valleys with palm oases. Sometimes you got the impression that you are not in Africa, but somewhere in Norway or Iceland. And just before the desert, everything changed again and became golden. Merzouga is the gateway to the Sahara for travelers, it was here that we felt like real heroes of an oriental fairy tale: wrapped in rugs from Fez, we sat around a fire on a dune and drank tea. By morning, the light of the sun slowly turned the sand pink, and the dunes rose hundreds of meters above us in warm graceful lines.
We also rented accommodation here on Airbnb - modestly in Berber style, but inexpensively and five minutes by car to the dunes. There were even camels and a donkey grazing in the yard!

Todra gorge

The Todra Gorge, formed in the High Atlas Mountains, is well known to European climbers who hone their skills here. The river has created a canyon, leaving at its narrowest point only ten meters wide between 300-meter vertical walls.
Palm oases invariably accompany any settlement here, successfully diluting the monotonous ocher color with greenery.

Film Studio Atlas Corporation

The route lies to Ouarzazate and the Atlas Corporation film studio. It is considered one of the largest in the world. In the Atlas, parts of the castle of Cleopatra, the temple of Ra and Set, the huts of the Arabs, parts of Jerusalem, the prison of the Colosseum, the house and courtyard of Ali Baba were erected in real size.

Walking around the film studio is an amazing thing: all the time you want to climb now on a stone block of a giant staircase, now on the roof of a rural house, from which, as in life, a second house has already grown, then you want to run away and do, as in "Matrix", a somersault , pushing off from a giant stone column ... But there is only one thing: all objects look very realistic, but in fact they are made of artificial materials and are very fragile.
Films shot in this studio: Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Alexander, Troy, Clone, Star Wars, Babylon, The Man Who I knew too much ”,“ The Kingdom of Heaven ”,“ The Last Temptation of Christ ”,“ Alexander the Great ”and others.

Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou

This ancient city is woven from dozens of Kasbahs - clay fortresses of various heights, each of which is crowned with a crenellated tower and decorated with openwork ornaments. Numerous circular arches and narrow passages link the winding streets to create an intricate labyrinth. On the slope itself, forming multi-tiered terraces, dwellings with flat roofs nestled.
The valley of the Ouarzazate River runs through the desert, the river begins on the southern slopes of the High Atlas and is later lost in the sands of the Sahara. Red adobe Kasbahs are surrounded by verdant palm groves for a movie set! Indeed, filmmakers do not miss the opportunity to use the unique natural scenery for filming: even if you have never been to Morocco before, the view of Ait Ben Haddou may be familiar to you from dozens of films.
Ksar was and remains extremely popular as a place for filming films, to one degree or another using oriental plots. "Lawrence of Arabia", "The Man Who Wanted to Become King", "Jesus of Nazareth", "Time Bandits", "Pearl of the Nile", "Sparks from the Eyes", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "Under the Cover of Heaven" , "The Mummy", "Gladiator", "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time".

Marrakesh

The main attraction of the city is the central Jemaa el Fna square, for which tourists from all over the world come here. This is the heart of the city, which lives 24 hours a day. The smell of dried apricots and spices, fresh orange juice, the cries of fortune tellers, dancers, orators, healers, beggars, tattoo artists, snake charmers with cobras, hundreds of people. All this will draw you into a whirlpool right here.

Nothing interesting happens on the square in the morning. It all starts in the afternoon. People begin to come to the square, hastily set up pavilions, put roughly knitted benches and tables, roll out the boilers and begin the nightly action. The entire center of the huge square turns into an open-air kitchen. Here you can taste delicious Meshui - tender and very juicy meat that is fried on coals for several hours; tajin - lamb stewed in a special clay pot; hariru - thick, rich tomato soup with lentils and lemon. After sunset, the entire area is shrouded in clouds of steam and smoke, hundreds of small firefly bulbs begin to burn.