Chefchaouen lies in northern Morocco, tucked into the Rif Mountains between Tangier and Tetouan. Founded as a fortified town in the fifteenth century, it developed a distinctive Andalusian character through the arrival of Muslim and Jewish communities from Al-Andalus, reflected in its whitewashed houses, red-tiled roofs, arched doorways, small balconies, interior courtyards and narrow, winding streets. The heart of the old town is the medina around Outa el-Hammam Square, dominated by the ochre-walled Kasbah and the Great Mosque, while the surrounding mountains and the spring at Ras el-Ma give the town a remarkably dramatic setting. The surrounding countryside is mountainous, with olives, fruit, cereals, grazing and small-scale agriculture, while wool, weaving, wood and leather remain important crafts. What makes Chefchaouen so different from other Moroccan towns is the extraordinary visual unity of its blue-painted medina, with the colour shifting from pale blue to deep indigo as the light changes, creating an almost irresistible subject for photography.