History of the Kasbah of Chefchaouen

1471: a fortress in the Rif

Moulay Ali Ben Rachid (Ali ibn Rashid al-Alami) founded Chefchaouen as a small fortress to fight Portuguese incursions in northern Morocco. That fortress is the Kasbah that still stands on Place Outa el Hammam.

Andalusian settlers

During and after the Reconquista, Muslims and Jews from al-Andalus settled in Chefchaouen alongside the Ghomara tribes of the region, shaping the town that grew around the Kasbah.

The Spanish protectorate and the Rif War

Spanish troops occupied Chefchaouen in 1920. After a Spanish withdrawal, the town was part of the Rif Republic led by Abd el-Krim el-Khattabi from 1924–1926, before Spain retook it. Chefchaouen returned to Morocco at independence in 1956.

Travel guides associate the Kasbah's prison cells with Abd el-Krim. Sources differ on the dates of his detention, so we do not state them here.

Restoration and the museum

The Kasbah has been restored several times over the centuries. In 1985, the Ethnographic Museum opened in its left wing, and the Andalusian garden is now open to visitors.