Al Hoceima is the 7th most beautiful city in the world for its beautiful sandy beaches, which can vary from lively and sports-facilitated beach stripes to calm and beautiful campsites, according to the travel site Urban City Guides that included the Moroccan city on its top 10 most beautiful cities in the world.
Magnificently surrounded on three sides by the Rif Mountains’ foothills and rimmed on the fourth by turquoise Mediterranean waters, Al Hoceima is a dominating town atop rolling hills. The town perches directly over a stunning turquoise bay.
The city as well as the region is full of proud and genial Amazigh (Berber) people with a surprisingly independent, and Amazigh flags and signs are becoming more and more prominent. Western outlook, far more than any other town in the north. In fact, if the northern Amazigh (Iriffien) had their own country, this would be its capital. There is far more of the Amazigh tongue, Tarifit, which is spoken by about 4 million people in the Rif Valley, sometimes exclusively of any other language.
Founded by the Spanish as Villa Sanjuro, the town was built as a garrison after the Rif Wars in the early 20th century; rebel Abd al-Krim operated nearby. Independence brought the name change to Al-Hoceima, but Spanish influence remains strong in language, architecture and business.
The town sits atop high cliffs overlooking two coves, one a commercial port and the other a beach (Plage Quemado) just above the main beach, is the focal point of the evening paseo (promenade) and has a fun sidewalk punctuated by fountains. Festivals and citywide events are held here in the summer months, when many expatriate Al Hoceimans residing in Europe return home on vacation.
