Al Hoceima () is a city in the north of

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, on the northern edge of the

Rif Mountains The Rif (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the homeland of the Rifians and the Jebala people. ...

and on the

Mediterranean coast The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eu ...

. It is the capital city of the Al Hoceima Province. The city is a known tourist destination despite its small size. It has a population of about 50,225 (2024 census).https://www.citypopulation.de/en/morocco/cities/ Al Hoceima is distinguished by its pristine sandy beaches such as Cala Iris, Bades, Quemado, and Tala Youssef, as well as its mountainous rocky terrain.

Name

According to some scholars, Al Hoceima is an Arabised version of a Spanish word (Alhucemas – meaning 'Lavenders'), derived from the Andalusi Arabic term al-Khuzāmā'''. After independence, the Moroccan government established an Arabised name for Alhucemas coming up with Al Hoceima, following the standard French spelling. Some like the author of the Spanish encyclopedia Espasa-Calpe say Alhucemas is a corruption of ''al-Mazimma''.

History

Early and colonial history

The Ait Ouriaghel Berber tribe (also 'Beni Urriaguel') dominated the area around Al Hoceima. Abd el-Krim, whose father was a qadi of the Aith Yusuf clan, organized a guerilla force against the Spanish during the

Rif War The Rif War (, , ) was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several ...

, establishing the Republic of the Rif in 1921. In September 1925, Spanish General José Sanjurjo landed at Al Hoceima and claimed the territory for Spain. The Spanish developed the town and named it Villa Sanjurjo after General Sanjurjo. The first mayor was Florian Gómez Aroca.

Since Moroccan independence

After Morocco gained its independence in 1955, Al Hoceima developed quickly, and the Moroccan government changed its name from the Spanish ''Villa Alhucemas'' to ''Al Hoceima''. The years from 1956 to 1959 were marked by challenges for the Rif region. Morocco's

Hassan II Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scotti ...

, then crown prince, assumed the role of military commander, and during this period, a significant number of people lost their lives in the

Rif The Rif (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the homeland of the Rifians and the Jebala people ...

. In October 1958, the Beni Urriaguel community rebelled against the central administration, prompting the deployment of two-thirds of Morocco's army, led by Hassan, to Al Hoceima. In the early 1950s and 1960s, during a period of economic hardship when many of the city's inhabitants were of modest means, the small houses in the city were predominantly painted white and blue. These colors, symbolizing the sea and sky, were commonly regarded as the city's official colors. As economic conditions improved over time, residents began to paint their houses in a wider range of colors. The city and surrounding villages were hit by two large

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s within ten years. The first ( 6.0 event occurred on May 26, 1994, and the second event ( 6.4) occurred on February 24, 2004, killing more than 560 people (see 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake). In 2007, Al Hoceima's mayor stated that all new houses would be painted white and blue in an effort to restore the city's traditional appearance. Al Hoceima is now a moderate-size city with a population of 56,716 recorded in the

2014 Moroccan census The 2014 Moroccan census was held in Morocco between 1 September and 20 September 2014. The census was conducted by the High Planning Commission.Rif The Rif (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the homeland of the Rifians and the Jebala people ...

region (

Nador Nador () is a coastal city and provincial capital in the northeastern Rif region of Morocco with a population of about 158,202 (2024 census). The Nador Province has over 600,000 inhabitants. Nador is considered the second largest city in the Ori ...

being the largest). The first schools built by the Spanish colonials, (a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

and an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

) and a Spanish

catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church, still exist today. Playa Quemado, where General Sanjurjo and his troops landed in 1925, is one of Al Hoceima's well-known beaches. Situated beneath the Mohammed V hotel, the beach is frequented by visitors. The hotel offers amenities such as a tennis court, restaurant, cocktail bar, and nightclub. Al Hoceima has been the centre of repression by and political protest against the Moroccan government in the 21st century. Five young protesters were murdered, and their burned bodies found in Al Hoceima, in 2011. On October 28, 2016, a fish-seller, Mouhcine Fikri, was crushed to death in a rubbish truck while trying to retrieve fish confiscated by the authorities, which led to large anti-government protests in November 2016 known as Hirak Rif. Protests in Al Hoceima continued after the start of Ramadan, 26 May, and culminated on 26 June with "bloody clashes", then spreading to other parts of northern Morocco and the country. On 7 January 2023, A 5.3 Magnitude Earthquake hit Al Hoceima Province, Nekkour. On 12 February 2023, National Institute of Geophysics announced two earthquakes that occurred in the Al Hoceima region, in the north of the country, measuring 3.8 and 4.3 degrees.

Climate

Economy

The city's income is based on fishing and tourism. Many of its former inhabitants migrated to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

during the 1960s through 1980s; large numbers of Moroccans in the Netherlands, France and Belgium were Al Hoceima natives, many of whom return to Al Hoceima during the summer, when the town is also frequented by tourists from Germany and France. The town beach is Plage Quemado, which is also where fishers bring in their catch. A quieter beach is in nearby Asfiha. The Torres de Alcala and Kalah Iris beaches are also considered Al Hoceima beaches, though they are 60 km from town.

Transport

The city is served by the

Cherif Al Idrissi Airport Cherif Al Idrissi Airport () is an international airport serving Al Hoceima, Morocco. It is the second-busiest airport in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region of northern Morocco. The airport is named after the 12th century CE Moroccan geograp ...

Education

There is a Spanish international school,

Instituto Español Melchor de Jovellanos Instituto Español Melchor de Jovellanos is a Spanish international school in Al Hoceima, Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea ...

. Abdelmalek Essaâdi University - Campus of Al Hoceima contains: Faculty of Science and Technology - FST National School of Applied Sciences - ENSA'H Multidisciplinary Faculty - FPH (Under Construction) National School of Commerce and Management - ENCG (Under Construction)

Notable people

* Nasser Zefzafi, Moroccan political activist * Jamal Ben Saddik, Moroccan kickboxer * Tarik Elyounoussi, Norwegian footballer of Moroccan origins. * Mohamed Elyounoussi, Norwegian footballer of Moroccan origins. *

Ibrahim Afellay Ibrahim Afellay (; born 2 April 1986) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger (association football), winger. He currently works for Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stic ...

, Dutch Former footballer of Moroccan origins. * Khalid Boulahrouz, Dutch Former footballer of Moroccan origins. * Isam Bachiri, Danish Singer of Moroccan origins * Mohamed Oulhaj, Moroccan footballer *

Ilyas El Omari Ilyas El Omari (; born 1967 in Bni Bouayach) is a Moroccan politician. He headed the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, and headed the Akhir Saâ press group, and was formerly General Secretary of Authenticity and Modernity Party The Authen ...

, Moroccan politician * Youssaf El Marnissi, Moroccan racing driver

Twin towns – sister cities

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