The Blue City

This morning Mohamed was our guide for a walking tour of the blue Medina of Chefchaouen. Pronounced chef shell win. Got out early to miss the crowds.

This is Mohamed explaining that the people are not short in this house.

The reason is that you will bow to get in the door. A sign of respect for the inhabitants of the house.

If the door knocker is used softly it means to open the middle door to let people in. If there is a loud knock the large door is opened and the animals are brought into the house. Not anymore though.

See the nail studs on the door? One nail for first baby. Second nail for next baby etc etc. This house has many children.

The mountain spring goes into the building and is piped to the houses of the blue city. This stream is the overflow.

Although many of the homes now have electric washing machines many women still wash at the communal washing space. It’s a social thing.

An area for washing carpets and large items.

Several artists sitting painting the beautiful scenes around them. They were French so I couldn’t join in easily.

Then a few streets on I found more. They were French too.

A very old bakery still baking the village bread.

Mohamed showed us the house his parents had. They had 1 room with 2 small children. Then they moved to some land where his father built a house and kept having to add on more rooms for his 10 children.

The Jewish quarter within the Medina where Jews came from Andulusia in the 17th century.

The markets had large bags of powder paint. It’s mixed with lime and water.

On the road again and stopped at Volumbius. The site of a Roman city of 20,000 people. Excavations are ongoing.

Columns of Corinth, Dorian and the other one.

Our guide showing us how they used the Roman
latrines.

There were some original mosaic floors that had been uncovered, the one above of the circus performer and this one of Medusa and the four seasons.

The city was built under the rule of Emperor Macrin 218AD.

When we went for lunch / dinner at 4pm, this was in the women’s toilets. Pretty amazing. After lunch in the van to Meknes. Lots of facts and figures from Hassan our driver.