Al Hoceima (Berber: El Ḥusima) is a city and port
in the north of Morocco and in the center of the Rif Mountains. The Al Hoceima city
region has a population of 395,644 (2004 census) and is the capital of
the Taza-Al
Hoceima-Taounate region. It is
situated in the territory of the Ayt Weryaghel and Ibeqquyen
tribes of the Rif, who speak Tarifit-Berber, locally
called Tamazight.
1) History Of Alhociema
1) History Of Alhociema
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 Villa
Sanjurjo, after himself. Many locals still
refer to the city as "Villa".
The
Spanish troops built houses, schools and hospitals above the beach, creating
the beginnings of the town. In the 1920s and '30s the town had almost no growth
in population. Its name changed from Villa Sanjurjo to Villa Alhucemas, and the
few streets above the beach were still occupied by mainly Spanish soldiers and
their families. The first major was Florian Gómez Aroca.
After Morocco gained its independence in 1956, Al
Hoceima developed quickly, and the Moroccan government changed its name from
the Spanish Villa Alhucemas to Al Hoceima.
2) modern
Al hociema and its Spanish influences
Al
Hoceima is now a moderate-size city with an estimated population of 100.000. It
has the second-largest port of the Rif Region (Nador being
the largest). The first schools built by the Spanish colonials, (a college and
an elementary
school) and a Spanish catholic church,
still exist today.
Playa
Quemado, where General Sanjurjo and his troops landed in 1925, is Al Hoceima's
most popular beach. It is home to the luxurious Mohammed V hotel, which
includes a tennis court, restaurant, cocktail bar and nightclub.
3) Economy
3) Economy
The
city's income is based on tourism and fishing. Many of its former inhabitants
migrated to Europe during the 1960s through 1980s;
large numbers of Moroccans in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain were
Al Hoceima natives. Many return to Al Hoceima during the summer, stimulating
its economy and encouraging investment.
Since the 1990s, many western-oriented businesses have
opened in Al Hoceima, including pizza parlors, fast food restaurants and
clothing stores.
4) Others
The
town and surrounding villages were hit by two moderate earthquakes within
ten years. The first, at a severity of Mw 6.0, occurred on
May 26, 1994. The second, at Mw 6.4, occurred on February 24, 2004, killing
more than 560 people (see 2004 Morocco earthquake).
A
1948 Spanish motion picture, Alhucemas, tells the story of an army
official in the time of Franco who
transforms from a coward to a hero.
In
the early 1950s and 1960s, when many of the city's inhabitants were poor, the
small houses were all painted white and blue. These colors, representing the
sea and sky, were considered the city's official colors. Later, when there was
financial growth, people began painting their houses in other colors. 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.