Morocco is an African country, but it completely subverts people's image of African countries. When we think of traditional Africa, we tend to think of poverty, backwardness, heat, dark skin, primitive tribes, and so on. But when you come to Morocco, you feel like you've arrived in a "fake" African country.
Because Moroccans here speak romantic French, the streets are full of strong European style, the climate is suitable, warm and humid, European-style buildings are on both sides of the road, and even the street signs are written in Arabic and French. The economy is not backward, even at the upper middle level, making you wonder if you are in a European country.
Morocco is located in a small area on the northwest side of the African continent, which is not a large size compared to the huge African continent. But it occupies a super good location.
It is bordered by the world's largest desert, the Sahara, to the west, the rough Atlantic Ocean, and the gentle Mediterranean Sea to the north, separated from Spain by the famous Strait of Gibraltar, which is the gateway of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean. In 1957, Morocco officially proclaimed the land and established an independent state. The country is basically religious, and Christianity is the faith of most of them.
You may not have been to Morocco, but I think you must have seen him at some point. Maybe it's a computer screensaver that you used before, or a TV freeze-motion picture that has been waiting for a long time. The layers of buildings are built on the mountain, and the dark blue and light blue are intertwined.
The narrow streets and chic houses are all painted in various blues, which are either dotted with bright potted flowers, or a few lazy kittens appear, or a few children are frozen running lively. When you see this, don't doubt that this is one of Morocco's famous cities, Chefchaouen.
Chefchaouen is a must-see "check-in mecca" when visiting Morocco. Located in the northwest of Morocco, this small town is a small mountain town with exquisite and beautiful beauty. Chefchaouen, Shef means hilltop, Chaouen means lookout. Chefchaouen, 564 meters above sea level, was originally called Sean, Spanish for horn, because the Rif Mountain looks like the two horns of a goat.
Most of the city's house doorways, stairs and walls are painted blue. Imagine sitting in a pure blue alley, drinking a cup of coffee, basking in the melting sun, and feeding the cute kittens that occasionally pass by, who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon like this.
But why is it painted completely blue? Could it be that people in the whole city like to paint the walls, and they all like to paint them blue?
This first theory says that the transformation of Chefchaouen into a small blue town is closely related to Moroccan religion. This small town was originally just an ordinary mountain village, but due to the constant war, many people came to take refuge here, and as the population increased, it gradually developed.
In the 17th century, it was conquered by Morocco and incorporated into its own territory. After more than 200 years of Moroccan rule, the culture blended and in the 19th century, it developed into a Muslim religious center. Basically the whole town is a believer in Islam. In the 1930s, local Jews painted their houses with a natural blue dye, and legend has it that by painting the house, the family would be blessed.
So, the inhabitants of the small town followed suit, who does not want to be protected by God? One pass ten, ten pass hundred, everyone uses this dye to paint their own houses, and also brush the ground and steps next to their own homes by the way. And this place gradually became a "blue city".
There is also a theory that the blue color here is closely related to the local climate. Knowing that Morocco is located near the equator, it is reasonable to say that it must be super hot, but because of Morocco's excellent geographical location, it has formed a unique climate - Mediterranean climate. In summer, Morocco, located near the equator, is cared for by the sun father-in-law, and Morocco is hot and dry in summer;
In winter, the monsoon from the west brings humid air from the Atlantic Ocean, bringing abundant precipitation to thirsty Morocco. Therefore, Morocco has a pleasant climate and lush flowers all year round, earning the reputation of "a cool land under the scorching sun". But everything has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the pleasant climate and lush plants also make the mosquitoes here have a good living space. The mosquitoes are waiting for the opportunity, staring at people's bare skin at any time, one large bag at a time, making Moroccans miserable.
Blue is said to be the least favorite color of mosquitoes, so in the era when there were no mosquito coils, the locals painted the walls, steps, and walls of their houses in order to prevent mosquitoes. Let the mosquitoes get annoyed when they see it and leave by themselves. So if you also hate mosquitoes, try painting your home with blue paint as well. However, as for whether mosquitoes like blue or not, only mosquitoes themselves may know.
In addition to the small blue city of Chefchaouen, Morocco also has red Marrakech. Located in the southwest of Morocco, Marrakech is one of the most important ancient capitals in Moroccan history. In Arabic, "Marrakech" means "red."
Once here, you will see a completely different scene from Chefchaouen, and unlike the cool blue, the small city of Marrakech is filled with a warm red. This is because when the city was built, the walls were made of ochre-red rock, so Marrakech was also called the "Red City".
Walking along the red walls of the Old Town, the sight takes you back in time to the distant Middle Ages. The city's Jemma El-Fna Square is the busiest place, and in the afternoon, people from all over the world flock here to watch the open-air performances in the square.
Every year in May, an unprecedented festival is held here. In the square, in the circles surrounded by the crowd, in addition to ordinary song and dance performances, there are also thrilling acrobatics, even the gripping snake scenes in the movie, and storytellers telling beautiful stories... Wonderful performances, lively and let you see the extraordinary Arabian style.
The romance of the Moroccan people is that this land provides them with a romantic factor. There were so many natural things that provided them with natural dye, and the Moroccans used them to decorate their entire towns, so there was the blue city - Chefchaouen; The Red City – Marrakech. Perhaps every Moroccan is a master of color.
Unique exotic style, elegant European-style architecture, golden desert, unique towns, these have gradually made Morocco a longing tourist destination, movies have come to shoot, stars have also come to check in. So, in any case, if you have the opportunity, be sure to go to Morocco to experience it! Maybe you can even meet a celebrity.