Moroccan ’Blue City’ Chefchaouen Ranks 3rd Among World’s Most Monochrome Cities

Chefchaouen ranks 3rd in the ranking of the 7 most monochrome cities in the world, carried out by Architectural Digest (AD). "In this city in northern Morocco, blue covers everything: the houses, the ground, the roofs, the walls, the alleys, the stairs... Why? For some, the color repels mosquitoes. For others, it symbolizes the skies and the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, some argue that it would be linked to the Jews who took refuge to escape persecution in the 15th century. Blue being an important color in this religion, the inhabitants would have covered the city with this hue. No explanation reaches a consensus," comments the specialized magazine.

The Andalusia region tops the ranking. This Spanish region owes this place to its whitewashed buildings. It is followed by Izamal (Mexico), the cradle of Mayan civilization in the Yucatán region. Jodhpur (India) occupies the 4th place in the top 7 of the most monochrome cities in the world. This city and Chefchaouen have a common point: their blue monochrome. Then come the Banwol and Bakji islands located off the west coast of (South Korea) and Collonges-la-Rouge, a French town where the buildings "almost all have the same hue": the red color of sandstone. Jaipur (India) or the pink city closes the podium.