CHEFCHAOUEN, Morocco, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Chefchaouen, often called the "Blue Pearl" of Morocco, is a scenic city in the Rif Mountains in the country's northwest.
Founded in 1471 as a fortress to resist Portuguese expansion, it later developed into a cultural center shaped by Ghomara Berbers and Andalusian refugees.
The city is known for its distinctive blue-painted buildings, a tradition often linked to Jewish communities who settled there in the 1930s and associated the color with the sky and heaven.
