Bouzafer Mosque

The Bouzafer Mosque sits alone atop a steep hill overlooking the blue-washed streets of Chefchaouen. Its solitary, octagonal minaret stands in sharp contrast to the square towers common throughout the Rif mountains. Local oral tradition credits the construction to the Portuguese in the fifteenth century, though the style suggests a later adaptation. For generations, the mosque served as a watchtower for the town below, with its height allowing guards to spot approaching tribal forces long before they reached the city walls.