Morocco’s Chefchaouen Among World’s Best City Skylines

chefcuouen

Taroudant - Northern City of Chefchaouen Featured Among Telegraph's ranking of the World's Best City Skylines

Chefchaouen, locally known as Chaouen, is a beautiful blue painted city nestled in the Moroccan Rif range to the east of Tangier.

The blue city ranks 13th out of 26, ahead of globally famous cities such as New York, Paris and Shanghai.

Among city’s strengths, The Telegraph referred to the historical importance of the blue city with its old city mosque that “dates from the 15th century and is architecturally unusual due to its octagonal minaret.”

With skyscrapers of the Australian capital, Sydney came on the top of the ranking. Edinburgh is found at the third position, followed by Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia.

Last year, Chefchaouen ranked 9th on Buzzfeed’s list of Most Beautiful Travel Destinations, making it the only city from North Africa and the Arab world on the list.

With its never-ending charm, the city is not only a beautiful destination for tourists but also a preferred location for the glamorous world of fashion. In August, Jacob Cohën, Italy’s world-renowned fashion brand, chose the city as background for its Fall-Winter 2015-2016 Collection.

With its Arabic, Berber, Jewish and Moorish heritage, Chefchaouen reflects the ethnic diversity and cultural richness of the kingdom.

Moulay Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rachid El Alami built the beautiful city in 1471 as a small fortress to protect Northern Morocco from Portuguese invaders.

Chefchaouen is home to the famous waterfall of Akchour, which is considered by tourists as a little paradise on earth. Located in the valley of Talembote, the waterfall is a pristine natural beauty, attracting more and more tourists since the opening of the natural park of Talassemtane.

[caption id="attachment_152400" align="aligncenter" width="730"] The city of Chefchaouen, photo by Jack Stana/MWN[/caption]