Chefchaouen · Why the Walls Are Painted Blue

In Chefchaouen the houses are painted blue all over the town — walls, doors, steps, flower pots. There are at least three explanations: it keeps the mosquitoes off, it keeps the heat down, and one more — blue stands for sky and faith, and painting the town blue is handing it over.

The town kept outsiders out for a long time; it was not until the first half of the twentieth century that a European visitor wrote down what it looked like.

The residents still paint the walls every day. They say it is not done for visitors: it has been done since their great-great-grandfathers’ time.

Folklore / Chefchaouen · Morocco / 1471