Cities

Casablanca, house (casa) ; nicknamed by locals: Casa [kāzā]; Antique name in Amazigh: Anfa ) is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Greater Casablanca region. The modern city of Casablanca was founded by Berber fishermen in the 10th Century BC and was subsequently used by the Phoenicians, Romans and the Merenids as a strategic port called Anfa. The Portuguese destroyed it and rebuilt it under the name Casa Branca, only to abandon it after an earthquake in 1755.

Rabat is the capital city of Morocco. It is an easy going city by Moroccan standards. Rabat's history began with a settlement, known as Chellah on the banks of the Oued Bou Regreg in the third century BC. In 40 AD, Romans took over Chellah and converted it to the Roman settlement of Sala Colonia. Rome held the colony until 250 AD when they abandoned it to Berber rulers. In 1146, the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu'min turned Rabat's ribat into a full scale fortress to use as a launching point for attacks on Spain.

Chefchaouen or Chaouen is a gorgeous mountain city in northeastern Morocco. It's no wonder that tourists flock here — this humble town is the embodiment of almost every Moroccan cliché. The picturesque medina, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rif Mountains, is filled with white-washed homes with distinctive, powder-blue accents, and the call to prayer rings out of several mosques around the town in chorus. If you've got a few days to relax from the rigors of travel, this is a good place to do it. Spanish is widely spoken.

Al Hoceima, the pearl of the Mediterranean Sea, is a city and port in the north of Morocco and in the center of the Rif Mountains. It is situated in the territory of the Bucoya tribe of the Rif who speak Tamazight.

The Spanish started to develop Al Hoceima around 1925. General Sanjurjo landed with his troops on the beach of Al Hoceima during the Rif Rebellion and claimed the territory for Spain. He named the territory after himself, namely Villa Sanjurjo. Many locals still call the city "Villa" in addition to the official Al Hoceima.

The multicultural placement of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities and the foreign immigrants attracted writers like Paul Bowles, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Tennessee Williams, Brion Gysin and the music group the Rolling Stones, who all lived in or visited Tangier during different periods of the 20th century.

Nador (Amazigh:Nnadur) is a northeastern Moroccan city located in the Rif region. The city is a Mediterranean port on the Bhar Amezzyan (Mar Chica in Spanish) lagoon and a trading centre for fish, fruit, and livestock. It is linked to the Spanish city of Melilla, 10 kilometers to the north, by a semi-motorway.

Nador is populated by a Tarifit-Berber (Thamazight n Arif) speaking population of more than 180,000 inhabitants. The current governor of Nador province is Abdelouafi Lftit. The city became independent within Morocco in 1956.