Chefchaouen was where I lost my hat so it is fixed in my memory. A new hat was my first purchase in Morocco. I didn’t actually buy very much while I was there; mostly presents for family and friends. I had intended to buy myself some lapis lazuli earrings, which I did, and I also bought a lapis lazuli necklace, both in Marrakesh. The hat and a Berber headscarf were the only other things which I bought for myself. The sales pitch tended to be a bit intrusive and overwhelming so I mostly walked away rather than look and maybe buy.

The medina

The Kasbah

“Mouley Ali ben Rachid founded Chefchaouen in 1471. The town prospered and grew considerably with the arrival of Muslim and Jewish refugees escaping persecution in Granada in 1494. It was these refugees who built the whitewashed houses, with tiny balconies, tiled roofs and patios which give the town its distinctive Hispanic flavour. The pale blue wash now so typical was only introduced in the 1930s by Jewish refugees - previously windows and doors had been painted green, a traditional Muslim colour.”

Blue bath house

Blue doors and footpaths

“The town remained isolated and before the 1920s Christians were forbidden and entered only on pain of death. Until 1920 only three Europeans had visited this place even though it is less than 100 km from Europe itself. And all these three men had to be disguised, and one was killed by the locals. The city remained a bastion against European influence for a long time, due to its founding as a refuge for Moors fleeing from Spain after Christianity brought the country into the Dark Ages.”

View from inside the Kasbah

The Kasbah; in the museum

We arrived at Chefchouen in time for lunch at a very nice restaurant at the top of the street which runs through the medina, after which we were free to explore the city. That is when I lost my hat; I put it down, forgot that I had done so, walked away and when I went back a few minutes later it was gone.

Our warrior's tools of trade

Some musical instruments

In the middle of the town there is a very small kasbah which housed a museum, a shrine which is accessed by a steep climb (I didn’t visit it although some of the group went up to it) and the hotel where we stayed which was perched on the top of a hill overlooking the city.

Decorated Chest: Kasbah museum

Our hotel perched right at the top of a hill

The hotel was new and certainly had a prime position but my bedroom was very cold until I discovered how to work the heater. The water was hot and there were extra blankets so it was comfortable after all.