Rabat-
Plastic artist Ibn Chefchaouen Mohamed Lakhzoum (in his sixties) remembers how in the past, parents warned their children against visiting the "Bouzafar Mosque", which was a remote and isolated place of ruins.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Lakhzoum - a painter who loves light and color - recalls the tape of youthful memories;
Where the place was a shrine to enjoy the view of the sunset and the spectrum of colors, and he says, "For me it is a shrine to which we resort, where Chefchaouen sleeps before it like a bride lying in the bosom of the mountain, we meditate on the colors of sunset."
It looks lonely and unique on top of a hill overlooking the city from its eastern side, and its location and shape raise the question, and stories, suspicions and sayings surround it.
It is the "Spanish Mosque/la mezquita espanola", known as the "Bouzafar Mosque", a mosque built by the Spaniards and there were no prayers in it, so what is its story?
colonial heritage
The history of the Bouzafar Mosque dates back to the period of the Spanish colonization of the city of Chefchaouen, and historians say that it was built by the occupation authority.
The book “From the History of Chefchaouen” - authored by Taha Ibn Farouk Raissouni - states that the mosque was built by order of the officer “Fernando Capaz”, the governor of Chefchaouen, and with the implementation of the protection powers.
In a statement to Al-Jazeera Net, a researcher in the history of Chefchaouen, Jamal al-Din Raissouni, says that this mosque was built during the period of the Spanish protection around 1925 by the military ruler who was at the head of the city.
Bouzafar is a word in the local dialect and means the owner of large mustaches, and stories are spread about the name;
Including that the Spanish military governor who built the mosque had thick moustaches, and another says that it is attributed to the engineer who supervised the construction and was also with thick moustaches, and another goes to the owner of the land.
While some accounts went to the fact that "Bouzafar" is a distortion of "Abu Al-Asafer", and there was a romantic Andalusian poet in the place with different birds and orchards.
Muhammad Lakhzoum says that what is known about the mosque is that it was built in the colonial period, on a hill, following the path of Catholics who build their churches in isolated mountainous areas.
A picture of the mosque before restoration from social networking sites and bears the signature of Adel Azmat, dated 2013 (communication sites)
Solicitation, lure, and reluctance
Taha Raissouni goes in his book that the protection authorities were supporting their stability with educational and religious administrative facilities in order to appease the population.
While Muhammad Lakhzoum says - to Al-Jazeera Net - that the mosque was built with the background of luring the resistance fighters who were holed up in the rugged terrain in the mountains with the aim of controlling and monitoring them.
Jamal al-Din Raissouni - in his interview with Al Jazeera Net - explains that Chefchaouen was bombed in 1925 by American planes under the supervision of the Spanish authorities;
Where it was difficult to penetrate the city due to the ruggedness of its paths and paths and the presence of hills and narrow and rugged paths.
He adds that the arrival of colonialism to Chefchaouen (in October 1920) - 7 years after the colonization of Tetouan - gives evidence that the city and the region were difficult for Spanish colonization, and indicates that this difficulty was translated into the poems of its plan by the fingers of the Spaniards who described Chefchaouen as the holy city.
One of the jokes is that Taha Raissouni said that the Spaniards residing in Chefchaouen after the civil war named the mosque “Sidi Walo” (meaning nothing) due to the explicit boycott and rejection of the residents of Chefchaouen and its Ahwaz.
It appears from the mosque's strategic location that it was not far from the colonial control targets, and it was believed that it was spying on the rest of the city.
After the restoration and in the last decade, the place became a pilgrimage site for tourists (Al-Jazeera)
You did not pray
Historians confirm that it has never been proven that a prayer was held in the Bouzafar mosque, and it was not written for him to embrace a religious devotional ritual except for the call to prayer.
Bouzafar overlooks the entire city from the plateau of the tomb of Sidi Ahmed Al-Wafi, which is called “Lobar.” It is a mosque with a small capacity, which some people thought was a church, and despite the presence of a hermitage and a minaret, its base is close to the church.
Muhammad Lakhzoum says that the residents of Chefchaouen and the resistance at the time understood the trick of the Spaniards, and they never prayed in the mosque, and in their minds it was associated with the Christian colonizer and what it means to them of jinx and bad omen.
The Kurdish traveler "Rafo" in a souvenir photo in front of Bouzafar Mosque (Al-Jazeera)
In a book from the history of Chefchaouen, the two faqihs “Al-Zanan” and after him, Al-Sharif Alami Al-Grouzmi, took over the task of insulting in an irregular manner for two periods.
In the context of explaining the residents’ abstention from praying in Bouzafar, Jamal Al-Din Al-Raissouni adds that the Bouzafar mosque was considered religious as a Dharar mosque, and that the residents did not understand how a Spanish ruler could build a mosque, and considered it an anecdote of the time.
The young researcher - whose doctoral thesis on history focused on the history of Chefchaouen and its cultural and mystical heritage - added that the people of the city see the military ruler as a usurper of land and an occupier, so how can they go along with him in an earlier matter, especially since it is a religious matter.
panoramic view
Before its restoration, the mosque went through a phase a decade ago in which it was a ruin, and a shelter for drunkards and criminals. However, its isolated location on the hill made it prominent and excites every visitor to the city, and its strategic location constituted an attraction for lovers of meditation and solitude.
In a testimony he gave to Al Jazeera Net - the poet and translator Badal Rafo (a Kurdish traveler honored by Chefchaouen with honorary citizenship in 2018), he said, "Despite all the stories of Morocco and the Spaniards, despite the Muslims' refusal to pray in it, and despite not turning it into a humanitarian museum to become a media front for the saint of the mountain, and despite all that is going on around it from A mystery because it was built by colonialism, but it remains the human legacy of Chefchaouen and a charming panorama, especially at sunset, and in turn it is considered the center of gravity for the blue city for many reasons, including its proximity to the Cape of Water and the tourism and attraction of foreigners.
The (administration) of the Chefchaouen region can benefit from it as long as it has taken the tourism path.. The Bouzafar mosque is a charming poem, a beautiful painting, and a beautiful story from the time of the struggle against colonialism.. He did not see Vienna or its cathedral, nor did he visit India, he did not visit the Taj Mahal!!"
The Spanish mosque is closed despite its restoration, and some of the residents demanded its reopening. However, its small size and the absence of ablution facilities in it make many not consider it a mosque until now.
The city's activities are raising demands to turn it into a museum.
Today, Bouzafar Mosque is one of the historical and cultural landmarks of the city of Chefchaouen, intended for every visitor to take panoramic pictures of the city, and around the world it includes tourists from different cultures and races.
As it resembles a balcony open to camels, its courtyard is filled with lovers of sunset and colors, surrounded by the hum of music lovers mixed with streams of water, and its neighbor is the source of “Ras Elma” in a symphony that increases the splendor and attraction of the sixth most beautiful city in the world.